Commander of the US-led military coalition to defeat ISIS Lt. Gen. Paul Calvert said on Monday that the extremist group was militarily defeated in Syria though some of its members remain active.
“ISIS has been militarily defeated. Its so-called caliphate no longer exists,” he said at the annual meeting of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) held in Hasakah.
However, the commander acknowledged that more work needs to be done to remove all sleeper cells.
Calvert said the Coalition achieved three goals in Syria, mainly to host refugees, to raise international awareness regarding the suffering of people in northeast Syria and to continue efforts to fight the presence of ISIS in the area.
He reaffirmed that the Coalition would continue to provide international aid to help secure prisons holding ISIS detainees in northeast Syria, highlighting that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and several Western leaders support the SDF in their fight against ISIS.
“I am here to announce the permanent partnership between the SFD and the Coalition,” Calvert affirmed.
Monday’s meeting was also attended by SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi and representatives of all SDF military councils and institutions.
The meeting discussed the military and political situation and the achievements of the SDF in the region as well as its structure and the activation of its military institutions.
Abdi said in order to fully defeat ISIS, the Autonomous Administration must be supported to rebuild the destroyed infrastructure and improve the living conditions of citizens as well as allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid to northeast Syria.
