Last Wednesday, President Trump presented reporters with a piece of paper that showed two maps of Syria. The first was covered in bright red, the second was almost empty.
“This was on election night, in 2016, everything red is ISIS,” he said, pointing to the first Syria. “When I took it over, it was a mess.”
He moved his hand to the second Syria.
“Now, on the bottom, it’s the exact same — [but] there is no red,” Trump said. “In fact, there is a tiny spot which will be gone by tonight.”
ISIS Caliphate two years ago in red vs. ISIS Caliphate TODAY. (Was even worse in November 2016 before I took office). pic.twitter.com/MUgfex4rCj
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2019
That “tiny spot” was captured over the weekend, prompting U.S.-backed forces in Syria to declare a “total elimination” of the Islamic State’s self-proclaimed caliphate.
Syrian military officials call it a “100 [percent] territorial defeat” for the terror group, which has killed thousands of people since splitting off from al-Qaeda in 1999.
In five years, ISIS has gone from controlling more than 34,000 square miles of Syria to virtually none. But experts say it’s still a financial powerhouse — with access to hundreds of millions of dollars that continue to fund global terrorism.
The Atlantic’s David Kenner writes:
The end of the Islamic State’s days of holding and governing territory represents a double-edged sword for officials looking to starve it of resources. On the one hand, its dramatic losses have made it far more difficult for the group to rely on two major sources of revenue: the exploitation of oil fields in Iraq and Syria, and the taxation of citizens living under its rule. […] On the other hand, the Islamic State’s loss of territory has freed it from the costs associated with trying to build its self-declared “caliphate,” allowing it to focus exclusively on terrorist activity.”
Where does that money come from? Where is it going? And even without any territory, how much power does the Islamic State still have?
Produced by Kathryn Fink.
GUESTS
Faysal Itani, Senior fellow, Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, Atlantic Council; @faysalitani
Matthew Levitt, Fellow and director, Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy; @Levitt_Matt
Louisa Loveluck, Correspondent based in Beirut, The Washington Post; @leloveluck
For more, visit https://the1a.org.
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