US special envoy for Syria Jim Jeffrey said that the takeover of the
last ISIS-held town was an “important development,” but that the war
would continue beyond this indefinitely, with an eye toward an eventual “enduring defeat.”
Jeffrey’s comments centered on the idea that post-territory ISIS would
be a “different kind of fight,” and downplayed the idea of any question
what to do with the thousands of ISIS prisoners already held.
Effectively, the message was that the war is going to continue, and US
forces will remain in Syria in some undisclosed number. It was meant to
deflect Trump’s previous withdrawal announcement and victory
declaration.
It has always been expected that ISIS would return to an insurgency
operation after losing the last of its territory, but it wasn’t clear
that the US would be involved. The Pentagon had always envisioned being
in Syria effectively forever, but that decision has been hotly debated
within the cabinet.
US Envoy Says ISIS Fight in Syria Will Continue Even Without ISIS Holding Territory
Says goal of war is 'enduring defeat' of ISIS
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.
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