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Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Thursday, March 7, 2019
Top US commander in Middle East says fight against Islamic State ‘far from over’
WASHINGTON — The battle against the Islamic State extremist group is “far from over” and the jihadists remain unbroken and prepared for a resurgence despite the elimination of their physical base in Syria, a top US commander says.
“Reduction of the physical caliphate is a monumental military accomplishment — but the fight against ISIS and violent extremism is far from over and our mission remains the same,” General Joseph Votel, head of the US Central Command, tells Congress.
“The ISIS population being evacuated from the remaining vestiges of the caliphate largely remains unrepentant, unbroken and radicalized. We will need to maintain a vigilant offensive against this now widely dispersed and disaggregated organization,” he says.
— AFP
In this file photo from September 12, 2018, US Central Command head General Joseph Votel speaks at a meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council’s military chiefs of staff in Kuwait City. (AFP Photo/Yasser Al-Zayyat)
