{"id":27766,"date":"2018-10-03T18:30:57","date_gmt":"2018-10-03T18:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/10\/03\/last-pocket-of-isis-fighters-surrounded-dod-official-says\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:49:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:49:05","slug":"last-pocket-of-isis-fighters-surrounded-dod-official-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/10\/03\/last-pocket-of-isis-fighters-surrounded-dod-official-says\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Last pocket of ISIS&#8217; fighters surrounded, DoD official says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. troops and their local partner forces have surrounded what has been called the \u201clast pocket of ISIS resistance,\u201d according to military officials involved in the campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The final push, known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/06\/12\/strikes-against-isis-triple-but-further-ground-combat-ops-are-needed-experts-say\/\" target=_blank>Operation Roundup<\/a>, is in its third week. It is occurring in the Middle Euphrates River Valley\u2019s Deir ez-Zor province, close to the Iraq-Syria border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/05\/08\/us-backed-syrian-fighters-spotted-in-mraps-prior-to-isis-assault\/\" target=_blank>Syrian Democratic Forces<\/a>, backed by the Operation Inherent Resolve coalition\u2019s fire support, have dialed back <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/05\/25\/combined-strikes-against-isis-up-nearly-150-percent-heres-why\/\" target=_blank>the Islamic State<\/a> precipitously over the past few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs ISIS retreats, they\u2019re employing improvised explosive devices along routes and booby-trapping houses to inflict casualties as the SDF fighters clear through the terrain,&#8221; Col. Sean Ryan, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/03\/27\/us-coalition-want-to-shrink-role-in-iraq-but-isis-fighters-linger-in-the-desert\/\" target=_blank>Operation Inherent Resolve\u2019s<\/a> spokesman, told reporters Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Additionally, last week ISIS fired a barrage of indirect mortar fire near coalition and partner forces in a likely attempt to distract SDF\u2019s operations in the southern portion of the [Middle Euphrates River Valley],\u201d Ryan added.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/09\/25\/the-white-house-just-revealed-massive-mission-creep-in-syria-heres-why\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3978211.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The White House has revealed massive mission creep in Syria. Here\u2019s why.<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The White House signaled a fundamental shift in the military mission for troops in Syria that would focus on Iran rather than ISIS.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The SDF recently liberated the towns of Baghuz Fawqani and Ash-Shajalah in their push north. Meanwhile, Ryan said, ISIS fighters attempting to flee the battlefield continue to be caught in the SDF\u2019s dragnet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than 700 fleeing ISIS militants, not counting women and children, have been captured, according to Ryan. He said there are between 1,000 and 2,000 ISIS fighters remaining in the Middle Euphrates River Valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s important to remember that a military defeat requires the sustainable security structure to prevent the return of groups like ISIS,\u201d Ryan said, adding that the coalition has been training internal security forces to defend liberated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"584\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ISIS.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-57534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ISIS.jpg.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ISIS.jpg.jpg?resize=300,175 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ISIS.jpg.jpg?resize=768,449 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Army 3rd Brigade 10th Mountain Division 5-25 Field Artillery, Charley Battery waits after a fire mission near Rawah, Iraq, on Nov. 16, 2017. (Spc. Torrance Saunders\/Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA sizable part of this training effort is to prepare forces equipping to counter IEDs,\u201d Ryan said. &#8220;To date, the coalition has trained approximately 400 SDF members and other internal security forces. We\u2019ve already seen the benefit of this approach, as many of our graduates are already being employed daily in cities across northeast Syria. In just the past month alone, the Raqqa Security Forces destroyed 500 deadly projectiles.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ryan said that life is getting back to normal in liberated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOver the last year, the [Deir ez-Zor] civil council opened 12 municipalities, 14 bakeries and 34 water pumping stations throughout the region,\u201d he said. &#8220;That progress is well-earned and the return on that investment can be seen in the faces of the children who returned to the opening of 375 schools. This school year, 140,000 school children registered, nearly a 20 percent increase from last year.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/09\/27\/dod-faces-scrutiny-on-mission-creep-in-syria-to-counter-iran\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screen-Shot-2018-09-26-at-20.53.52.png.png?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">DoD faces scrutiny on mission creep in Syria to \u2018counter Iran&#8217;<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Plans to keep U.S. troops in Syria to counter Iran may not be constitutional without a new authorization from Congress.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhile the road to recovery continues for much of northeast Syria, the Deir ez-Zor civil council is an exceptional model of how local leaders are restoring key infrastructure and civil services,&#8221; Ryan added. &#8220;This is what the coalition and our partner forces are fighting for: to bring security to the region, allowing others to come in and focus on reconstruction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ryan couldn\u2019t speak to comments last week from senior Trump administration officials regarding a long-term commitment of troops to Syria even after the defeat of ISIS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI can tell you that I go off what the [secretary of defense] says and he has three things that he\u2019s mentioned,\u201d Ryan said. \u201cFirst and foremost is to destroy ISIS. The second is to train local troops to eventually take over. And then for the Geneva process to start working.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Geneva process is a reference to peace talks to conclude the Syrian civil war in Geneva, Switzerland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. troops and their local partner forces have surrounded what has been called the \u201clast pocket of ISIS resistance,\u201d according to military officials involved in the 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