US claims victory over IS, withdraws troops from Syria

The US administration announced that it has started withdrawing troops from Syria after claiming a victory in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) without revealing any detailed timetable.

"We have started returning US home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign," said White House Spokesperson Sarah Sanders in a statement, claiming that America has "defeated the territorial caliphate".

According to reports, Pentagon later said that the US military has already begun the process of bringing the US forces back while emphasizing the continuity of the campaign.

"The Coalition has liberated the IS-held territory, but the campaign against IS is not over," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a tweet.

The #Coalition has liberated ISIS-held territory, but the campaign against #ISIS is not over.

— Jonathan Hoffman (@ChiefPentSpox45) December 19, 2018

All US State Department personnel are being evacuated from Syria within 24 hours, informed sources said.

An official also revealed that the time-frame for the troops withdrawal from the war-torn Arab country is expected to be between 60 and 100 days.

However, a senior Trump administration official, during a background briefing held on Wednesday afternoon, did not directly answer reporters' questions on how the administration intends to withdraw the troops or whether there will a deadline for that.

Sanders' statement came about one hour after US President Donald Trump hinted in a tweet about imminent US troop withdrawal from Syria.

"We have defeated the IS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency," Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning.

Earlier on Wednesday, the US media cited anonymous officials as saying that the US is planning a "rapid" and "full" withdrawal of troops from Syria.

Currently, there are more than 2,000 US soldiers deployed in Syria.

(Featured Image: Dawn)