Magazine - Washington Briefing

The ISIS ‘caliphate’ has been smashed. Now what?

By Jamie McIntyre

Published April 5, 2019 12:00am ET

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The ISIS ‘caliphate’ has been smashed. Now what? — A Nigerien soldier provides rear security for his squad while they performed a dismounted patrol during Exercise Flintlock 2017 in Diffa, Niger, March 11, 2017. Flintlock exercises strengthen security institutions, promote multilateral sharing of information, and develop interoperability among partner nations in the Trans-Sahara. | U.S. Army photo by Spc. Zayid Ballesteros

For months, U.S. commanders have been warning that even when the last bit of Syrian territory was liberated from the control of the Islamic State, the brutal ISIS movement would be far from defeated.

“Unrepentant, unbroken, and radicalized” is how Gen. Joseph Votel described what’s left of ISIS on March 7 in his final appearance before Congress, just three weeks prior to stepping down from commander of U.S. Central Command.

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Donald Trump Iraq ISIS Pentagon Recep Tayyip Erdogan Syria Turkey