Trump: ISIS Defeated, Time for US Troops to Return From Syria

Anti-ISIS Coalition Will Continue for Many Years to come

In comments made to the anti-ISIS coalition, President Trump once again talked up the idea of leaving Syria. He said the troops have defeated ISIS, and says the US military couldn’t have done anything more than they already have.

Trump said he spoke with commanders a week ago on the final defeat of ISIS within Syria, and asked them how long it would take. He said they told him a week once they got going, and he said for them to do so. He suggested a formal announcement of this is imminent.

Yet Trump also presented this as an enduring fight, saying the coalition would continue for many years to come, and that there might always be some ISIS around somewhere. He also tied the fight to his anti-immigration position, saying the US is very tough on anyone they think might be coming here to aid “radical Islamic terror.”

With the ISIS fight continuing, however, he predicted that the number of troops involved globally would get smaller and smaller as the ISIS movement is diminished further. This suggests a broad drawdown trend beyond just leaving Syria, and one which is sure to anger hawks.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.