Defence minister warns Islamic State is ‘very much alive’ after US president hints at troop withdrawal

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The British government has contradicted Donald Trump’s claim that Islamic State has been defeated in Syria.

The US president hinted that American forces could withdraw from the conflict, saying that tackling the militant group was the “only reason” for being in Syria. But a UK government spokesman said the threat posed by Isis still remained and the defence minister Tobias Ellwood said it was “very much alive”.

The UK is part of the US-led coalition carrying out airstrikes against Isis in Syria.

Trump tweeted on Wednesday: “We have defeated Isis in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.” Ellwood responded: “I strongly disagree. It has morphed into other forms of extremism and the threat is very much alive.”

A UK government spokesman said Isis, or Daesh, was still a threat. “The global coalition against Daesh has made huge progress,” he said.

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“Since military operations began, the coalition and its partners in Syria and Iraq have recaptured the vast majority of Daesh territory and important advances have been made in recent days in the last area of eastern Syria which Daesh has occupied.

“But much remains to be done and we must not lose sight of the threat they pose. Even without territory, Daesh will remain a threat. As the United States has made clear, these developments in Syria do not signal the end of the global coalition or its campaign. We will continue to work with members of the coalition on achieving this.

“We remain committed to the global coalition and the campaign to deny Daesh territory and ensure its enduring defeat, working alongside our critical regional partners in Syria and beyond. As the situation on the ground develops, we will continue to discuss how we achieve these aims with our coalition partners, including the US.”

The Trump administration is expected to withdraw all of the approximately 2,000 American troops from Syria. It is understood planning for the pullout has begun and troops will begin leaving as soon as possible.

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The decision underscores the division between Trump and his military advisers, who have said in recent weeks that pockets of Isis militants remain and US policy has been to keep troops in place until the group is eradicated.

British special forces are believed to be on the ground in Syria, although the government never comments on their deployment.

Tom Tugendhat MP, the chair of the foreign affairs select committee, said Trump’s move was a surprise.

“This is an operation the US was conducting, and conducting effectively, not just in Syria but to maintain support for the government in Iraq as well,” he told Channel 4 News.

“What we are trying to read here are the internal machinations of the White House and the Pentagon. It’s quite clear that we have got different indications coming from Gen Jim Mattis, the secretary of defence, and President Trump.”