{"id":69104,"date":"2018-12-16T23:16:10","date_gmt":"2018-12-16T23:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/12\/16\/end-days-nearing-for-islamic-state-in-syria-says-coalition-official\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:03:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:03:34","slug":"end-days-nearing-for-islamic-state-in-syria-says-coalition-official","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/12\/16\/end-days-nearing-for-islamic-state-in-syria-says-coalition-official\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018End days\u2019 nearing for Islamic State in Syria, says coalition official"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BEIRUT \u2014 Fighting against the Islamic State group in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/12\/09\/after-defeat-in-iraq-isis-fights-on-in-last-enclave-in-syria\/\" target=_blank>its last enclave in eastern Syria<\/a> \u201cis going very well,\u201d a U.S. official said Saturday as U.S.-backed Syrian fighters battled the extremists on the edge of the largest urban area they still hold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spokesman for the U.S.-led Coalition Col. Sean Ryan\u2019s comments came a day after the U.S.-backed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/12\/13\/us-backed-syria-kurds-say-fight-against-islamic-state-threatened-by-turkey\/\" target=_blank>Syrian Democratic Forces<\/a> captured the town of Hajin, the largest urban area controlled by ISIS in the enclave.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/12\/11\/3rd-cavalry-regiment-soldiers-are-firing-intense-artillery-missions-into-syria-with-iraqi-french-allies\/\" 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=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Brave-rifles-artillery.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\">3rd Cavalry Regiment soldiers are firing intense artillery missions into Syria with Iraqi, French allies<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Though numbers were not released, the task force commander called the artillery fire support missions some of the most intense he&#039;d seen.<\/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\">Ryan said ISIS still poses a threat and its fighters are regrouping, planting improvised explosives devices to slow the progress of SDF offensives. He added that the \u201cend days\u201d of ISIS in the enclave they hold near Iraq\u2019s border are getting closer, however, \u201cthey still have the capability for coordinated attacks, and the fight is not over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1073946414.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-47264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1073946414.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1073946414.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1073946414.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1073946414.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This picture shows members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Hajin, in the Deir Ezzor province, eastern Syria, on Dec. 15, 2018. (Delil Souleiman\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said SDF fighters are removing explosives in Hajin and fortifying their positions amid fighting on the eastern outskirts of the town.<\/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\/07\/24\/defeat-of-isis-in-syria-just-2-3-months-away-commander-says\/\" 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=\"199\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4571553.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\">Defeat of ISIS in Syria just 2 to 3 months away, commander says<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">ISIS is down to its last few hundred fighters in Syria, coalition says.<\/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\">SDF has been trying to take the enclave since it launched an offensive on Sept. 10. Since then, 932 ISIS gunmen, 545 SDF fighters and scores of civilians have been killed in the area, according to the Observatory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The SDF offensive intensified over the past days under the cover of airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fighting against the Islamic State group in its last enclave in eastern Syria \u201cis going very well,\u201d a U.S. official said Saturday as U.S.-backed Syrian fighters battled the extremists on the edge of the largest urban area they still hold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":56830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,89,12,26,62],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1355],"class_list":["post-69104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"RQU7FZPA5FCQ7M2EZDBBL6B7YY","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2018\/12\/16\/end-days-nearing-for-islamic-state-in-syria-says-coalition-official\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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