ISIS/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump declared on Thursday [2-28-19] that ‘we just took over 100 percent’ of territory controlled by the Islamic State in Syria — a claim that reports from the battle front suggested was 100 percent untrue…Over the past month, American forces have been working with Syrian fighters to seize the last square mile of Islamic State territory — the riverside village of Baghuz on the border with Iraq. Taking and holding terrain in any military operation can be a difficult task, especially against extremists who are willing to face death instead of surrender. The battle was continuing on Thursday when officials with the Syrian Democratic Forces, an American-backed militia of Kurdish and Arab fighters, were told of Mr. Trump’s announcement…The Pentagon scrambled to catch up with Mr. Trump’s comments and referred questions to the White House. Although it is true that the Islamic State’s control of territory has dwindled to almost nothing over the last year, Defense Department officials have been wary of declaring victory before the Syrian Democratic Forces seizes Baghuz.”
–Katie Rogers, Rukmini Callimachi and Helene Cooper, “Trump Declares ISIS ‘100%’ Defeated in Syria. ‘100% Not True,’ Ground Reports Say.,” The New York Times online, February 28, 2019