Top U.S. General In The War Against The Islamic State Warns That The Threat Continues

Bloomberg: Islamic State Threat Endures After Defeats, U.S. General Warns

* Three-year anti-IS operation reclaims 98 percent of land
* Top American general in fight warns of idealogical diaspora

The U.S. general commanding forces against the Islamic State said it has lost 98 percent of the land it claimed and 7.7 million people have been liberated from its control, but warned the group could continue as a shadow terror outfit operating without a base.

Army Lieutenant General Paul Funk, commanding general of Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve, said a coalition that has grown to 74 nations reclaimed 65,000 square kilometers (25,096 square miles) of land from the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or Daesh, in 2017. Yet he warned the allies can’t let up.

"Their repressive ideology continues," Funk said in a New Years message posted to the coalition Facebook page. "The conditions remain present for Daesh to return, and only through coalition and international efforts can the defeat become permanent."

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More News On The War Against The Islamic State

US general: ISIS's 'repressive ideology' endures despite lost territory -- The Hill
Defense, Intelligence Officials Warn Against Underestimating Islamic State -- VOA
Defeat-ISIS Coalition Reflects on 2017, Looks Forward to 2018 -- US Department Of Defense
US General: ISIS Shrinking, But 'Repressive Ideology' Lives -- Newsmax
Where Did The Islamic State Fighters Go? -- NPR
Preview 2018: After a string of defeats in Iraq and Syria what 2018 means for Isis -- Patrick Cockburn, The Independent