James Matisse during the press conference
US Defense Secretary James Matisse said on Friday that the war against a militant organization is ongoing and not confined to a single geographical area.
Matisse told a joint Pentagon press conference with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Danford and the US coordinator of the International Coalition Against Brett McGuck, that the alliance was surrounding the organization’s fighters in their strongholds before launching a military campaign to eliminate them.
As for the developments in the battles against the organization in Iraq, the US defense secretary said that a supporter has not regained control of any of the lost lands.
Danford said Washington provided advice and training to Iraqi forces through the international coalition against Da’ash.
On fighting the organization on the Syrian front, Matisse said his country’s strategy was not to allow foreign fighters to leave the country, while Danford said the Syrian Democratic Forces were the only option to confront the organization.
