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On March 21th, the White House announced the defeat of ISIS.
Two years ago, ISIS was running rampant across Syria. Today, they have lost nearly all of their territory. pic.twitter.com/r04BvkZXEC
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 21, 2019
In the video US President Donald Trump boasted with a map showing the caliphate on election night in 2016, and on March 20th, 2019.
“This is ISIS on Election Day,” the President said as he held up a side-by-side comparison yesterday. “And this is ISIS now.”
ISIS Caliphate two years ago in red vs. ISIS Caliphate TODAY. (Was even worse in November 2016 before I took office). pic.twitter.com/MUgfex4rCj
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2019
Leading up to the “final” announcement of ISIS defeat, there have been numerous claims by the Trump administration that ISIS was defeated prior to this. Trump’s announcement on December 19th that US troops would withdraw from Syria since ISIS was defeated began it.
This is the timeline of the continuing ISIS defeat so far:
December 19th, 2018 – Trump declared: “We have won against ISIS,” in a video released by the White House.
After historic victories against ISIS, it’s time to bring our great young people home! pic.twitter.com/xoNjFzQFTp
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018
December 22nd, 2018 – Trump tweeted that “ISIS is largely defeated and other local countries, including Turkey, should be able to easily take care of whatever remains.” Thus, the announcement 3 days earlier was wrong and ISIS “nearly” defeated, but not exactly.
….going to be there for three months, and that was seven years ago – we never left. When I became President, ISIS was going wild. Now ISIS is largely defeated and other local countries, including Turkey, should be able to easily take care of whatever remains. We’re coming home!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 22, 2018
January 16th, 2019 – Vice President Mike Pence announced that “the caliphate has crumbled, and ISIS has been defeated” in a speech during the Global Chiefs of Mission Conference “One Team, One Mission, One Future.” Earlier on the same day, 4 US soldiers were killed by an ISIS suicide bomber in Manbij, Syria.
January 30th, 2019 – Donald Trump tweeted praising the “tremendous progress” in Syria and that the ISIS “caliphate will soon be destroyed.”
When I became President, ISIS was out of control in Syria & running rampant. Since then tremendous progress made, especially over last 5 weeks. Caliphate will soon be destroyed, unthinkable two years ago. Negotiating are proceeding well in Afghanistan after 18 years of fighting..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2019
February 1st, 2019 – Trump repeated that 100% of the caliphate will soon be destroyed. He also took all of the credit for the “defeat” of ISIS:
….after 18 long years. Syria was loaded with ISIS until I came along. We will soon have destroyed 100% of the Caliphate, but will be watching them closely. It is now time to start coming home and, after many years, spending our money wisely. Certain people must get smart!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 1, 2019
February 3rd, 2019 – Trump told CBS news that “We will be announcing in the not too distant future 100 percent of the caliphate, which is the area — the land, the area — 100. We’re at 99 percent right now, we’ll be at 100.”
February 6th, 2019 – Trump, in his remarks to the Ministers of the Global Coalition to defeat ISIS, said the achievement “should be formally announced, sometime, probably next week, that we will have 100 per cent of the caliphate.” Continuing with “But I want to wait for the official word. I don’t want to say it too early.” Despite already saying it several times.
February 10th, 2019 – Trump tweeted that the U.S. will control all former IS territory in Syria “soon.”
The U.S. will soon control 100% of ISIS territory in Syria. @CNN (do you believe this?).
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 10, 2019
February 11th, 2019 – At a rally in El Paso, Texas, Trump said that the announcement that 100% of ISIS territory had been captured will be coming “maybe over the next week, maybe less.
February 15th, 2019 – Trump said that the US would be announcing the end of the ISIS caliphate “within the next 24 hours.”
February 16th, 2019 – Trump tweeted “We are pulling back after 100 percent Caliphate victory!”
….The U.S. does not want to watch as these ISIS fighters permeate Europe, which is where they are expected to go. We do so much, and spend so much – Time for others to step up and do the job that they are so capable of doing. We are pulling back after 100% Caliphate victory!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2019
February 22nd, 2019 – Trump told reporters “In another short period of time, like hours — you’ll be hearing hours and days — you’ll be hearing about the caliphate. It will — it’s 100 percent defeated.”
February 28th, 2019 – Trump said, “We just took over, you know, you kept hearing it was 90 percent, 92 percent, the caliphate in Syria. Now it’s 100 percent we just took over, 100 percent caliphate,” in a speech to troops in Alaska.
March 2nd, 2019 – Trump claimed “As of probably today or tomorrow, we will actually have 100 percent of the caliphate in Syria,” at the 2019 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
Finally, March 20th, 2019 – Trump showed reporters a map that plots the territory still held by the Islamic State in Syria and promises that area “will be gone by tonight.”
In total, the defeat or impending defeat in the next “24 hours” and/or “week” amounts to 15 times.
The fabled US troops withdrawal from Syria has also gone through many transformations, provided is a timeline:
December 19th, 2018 – Trump announced that the 2,000 US troops in Syria would be withdrawn immediately, because ISIS was defeated.
Also on December 19th, 2018 – The White House spokeswoman, Sarah Sanders said that troop withdrawal marked the start of the “next phase” in the struggle with Isis, and suggested they could return if necessary. This was also repeated by the Pentagon. No timetable was given.
December 24th, 2018 – The order to withdraw American troops from Syria was signed, according to US officials.
December 30th, 2018 – Senator Lindsey Graham claimed that Trump had agreed to “slow down troop withdrawal” from Syria.
The President will make sure any withdrawal from Syria will be done in a fashion to ensure:
1) ISIS is permanently destroyed.
2) Iran doesn’t fill in the back end, and
3) our Kurdish allies are protected.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 30, 2018
January 11th, 2019 – US withdrawal from Syria begins, but only for equipment, troops remain. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that withdrawal would depend on guarantees for the US’ Kurdish allies.
February 22nd, 2019 – the White House said that it would keep 200 US troops in Syria as a peacekeeping force. Later in the day it turned out that those 200 troops would actually be 400 – 200 troops will remain in the Syrian town of al-Tanf, near the border with Iraq; Another 200 will remain in northern Syria and be part of a “multinational observer force” numbering between 800 and 1,500, mostly European NATO allies, including France and Britain.
Trump also denied that he is “changing course” on his decision and that the withdrawal is still happening.
March 20th, 2019 – When asked if the US is still withdrawing from Syria, Trump said: “No, no. We’re — in Syria, we’re leaving 200 people there, and 200 people in another place in Syria closer to Israel for a period of time.” (still in al-Tanf and northeast Syria).
Changes in the US policy on withdrawal from Syria has changed 7 times since December 19th. According to latest information, there are currently approximately 1,000 US troops remaining in Syria, so a partial withdrawal has happened.
The flexible US policy and claims in the fight against ISIS and its presence in Syria are continuously changing.
It can also be speculated from another point of view:
It may be a US disinformation campaign against ISIS, to confuse them in a sort of psy-operation.
Furthermore, it may be a play to surprise the enemy. After all, the enemy can’t know what the US is doing, when it doesn’t know what it is doing.
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and this is only the beggining.
It was not until Sept 2015 when the Russians entered the war that the tide was turned — despite US presidents crowing about a “war on terror” that never was. Terrorists are still in control of the Rukban camp and the US refuses to let the Syrian government go in and liberate the residents! So shut the &%$# up, you liar!
Of course those people will not be with the Damaskus regime. Naming those, which wont fight, as terrorists, make You to one.
Those are very good representatives of the normal Syrians.
What is exactly a normal Syrian?
Its typical, You hardly bring the other oppinions with influence being important politicians, generals as well as the moast important newssites.
I take it again. You think Presidents are the only Leaders of a country and as well behave as Your own dictators.
Besides that at least 2 Russians declared Victory against ISIS more then 6 months ago. Not even mentioning that by a a sentence by a comma is hard vertical bias if not worse.
Troll much?
Please ignore Trump the goliath let him blow his false trumpet. There is no truth in Trump.His just a trouble maker ensure instability between neighbouring brotherly countries.Example South and North Korea, Japan Russia Ukraine, Syria Israel.Put sanctions on USA administration officials.
The U.S is a corporation, who follows foreign interests, private bankers interests since 1871.
‘Mission Accomplished ‘ …not 3.0
Exactly as I already you guys. US and Allies had to clean everything up after Putin poured gasoline all over ME and interfered in our democratic election.
This sort of behaviour is synonymous with Alzheimer/dementia, cognitive impairment; Trump has those symptoms which doesn’t go down too well for those who put him in power.
Putin declared victory over Isis back in december 2017, but they’re still operating in his area of control. Isis is like one of those sinister viruses that you can never really get rid of, they can remain dormant in the system until environmental conditions are right, and then they suddenly break out just like cold sores do. Several generations will be needed to get rid of Isis, not just a few years or decades, and the Arab league seem to be on the right track to do that now, all except for Qatar that is. Isis and all the groups just like it going all the way back to the end of the Ottoman empire have all been the products of outside ambitions and interventions, first the English, Russians and other European nations, then the US and finally Israel. Lawrence of Arabia is a good movie to watch, that was the English version of Isis in the past, it sounded like a good idea in the beginning, but wasn’t by the time it finished, using one group against another always creates more problems than it solves in the end. The Arab league are the only group with any real ability to destroy Isis/Taliban/Al Qaeda, and they don’t need guns or bombs to do it, just a unified Arab world, a unified Islamic world would be even better, but Erdogan still believes in an Ottoman empire, so a united Arab world will just have to do for now. But how many countries out there would really want to deal with a unified and coherent Arab Islamic block of countries, none I suspect, and just imagine the whole Islamic world working as one block against non islamic countries, that would be an even bigger nightmare for the powers that run the world. Not too many leaders around the world would want to see groups like Isis disappear completely, they still serve the same purpose they have and did since the end if the Ottoman empire.
“We are speeding up training of ISIL forces” Barack Obama