U.S. commander: Islamic State hold in Syria, Iraq on verge of collapse

U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. Joseph Votel testifies before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, in Washington. Votel told the committee that of the 34,000 square miles of territory that IS once held, it now controls less than 20 square miles. "It is important to understand that even though this territory has been reclaimed, the fight against ISIS and violent extremists is not over and our mission has not changed." (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. Joseph Votel testifies before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, in Washington. Votel told the committee that of the 34,000 square miles of territory that IS once held, it now controls less than 20 square miles. "It is important to understand that even though this territory has been reclaimed, the fight against ISIS and violent extremists is not over and our mission has not changed." (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

By Associated Press February 5, 2019 5 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is expected to declare near-total triumph over the Islamic State group in Syria in his State of the Union address Tuesday, but U.S. defense officials are increasingly fearful that the militants are simply biding their time until the Americans leave the battlefield as planned.

IS militants have lost territory since Trump’s surprise announcement in December that he was pulling U.S. forces out, but military officials warn the fighters could regroup within six months to a year after the Americans leave.

A Defense Department watchdog report released Monday warned of just such a possibility.

The Islamic State group “remains a potent force of battle-hardened and well-disciplined fighters that ‘could likely resurge in Syria’ absent continued counterterrorism pressure,” the report from the inspector general said.

The top commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, Gen. Joseph Votel, told a Senate committee on Tuesday that of the 34,000 square miles of territory that IS once held, it now controls less than 20 square miles.