IS territorial caliphate eliminated in Syria: White House

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The white house said on Friday that the physical presence of the Islamic State (IS) was eliminated in Syria.

white house Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told the press that the territorial caliphate of IS had been eliminated in Syria, saying that the Pentagon confirmed this information.

U.S. officials familiar with the situation in Syria said Friday that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had not announced any declaration of victory, and there was no announcement planned for Friday, U.S. media reported.

Mustafa Bali, a spokesman of SDF, said on his twitter on the same day that "heavy fighting continues around mount #Baghouz right now to finish off whatever remains of ISIS (IS)."

The IS militants for weeks have been besieged in a small area in Baghouz, eastern Syria.

Washington's statements about the complete liberation of Syria from IS were not convincing, Russian media Sputnik reported on Friday, citing a Russian Foreign Ministry source.

General Joseph Votel, head of the U.S. Central Command, said earlier this month that the operation against IS was far from over.

"Reduction of the physical caliphate is a monumental military accomplishment -- but the fight against ISIS (IS) and violent extremism is far from over and our mission remains the same," Votel said.

Declaring victory over the IS, President Donald Trump announced last December the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, leading to the resignation of then Secretary of Defense James Mattis and wide opposition from home and abroad.

Last month, Trump announced a small fraction of U.S. forces would remain in Syria with troops from other countries. Currently, there are about 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria.