IS Fighters Fleeing to Assad-controlled Parts of Syria

IS Fighters Fleeing to Assad-controlled Parts of Syria
With the collapse of the ISIS caliphate in 2017, what’s left of the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria is on the run, with some fighters moving west toward Damascus into Assad regime-controlled territory and away from where the U.S.-led coalition will work to defeat them.

A two-star British general in the coalition’s war against ISIS confirmed the "movement of limited numbers of ISIS militants westwards," but said the U.S.-led coalition won’t pursue them because the area is operated by the regime.

“We are seeing the movement of limited numbers of ISIS militants westwards,” said British Maj. Gen. Felix Gedney, deputy commander of Strategy and Support for the U.S.-backed coalition to defeat the Islamic State terror group.

"The coalition will remain committed to the mission in Syria until ISIS no longer poses a threat and a -backed peace process is implemented to ensure lasting stability in the country," British Army Major Gen. Felix Gedney, deputy commander of strategy and support for the coalition, told reporters during a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday.

But he later clarified the coalition would only defeat ISIS "in areas controlled by partner forces," leaving the Syrian regime and their Russian backers to oust the ISIS fighters that have moved west.

Gedney, as well as U.S. military leadership, have long expressed doubt in the regime’s desire and ability to fight ISIS.

"They seem to be moving with impunity through regime-held territory, showing that the regime is clearly either unwilling or unable to defeat within their borders," Gedney said Wednesday.

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