Pompeo congratulates SDF on "successful" operations to liberate Al-Dashisha from IS

WASHINGTON, July 22 (KUNA) -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo congratulated Sunday the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on their "successful operations to liberate Al-Dashisha, Syria, from the scourge" of the so-called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (IS).
Pompeo said in a statement since 2013, Dashisha has been "a key stronghold and transit route for (IS) fighters, weapons, and suicide bombers between Syria and Iraq".
He added that "the SDF now controls the area, with Iraqi Security Forces controlling the Iraqi side of the border, saying "this is a significant milestone".
"The offensive was part of our Coalition-backed effort to clear the last pockets of (IS)-held territory in the Middle Euphrates River Valley and the Iraq-Syria border region," he stressed.
"We commend the bravery and sacrifice of the Syrian Democratic Forces. We also commend the significant efforts of the Iraqi Security Forces to ensure that (IS) could not flee into Iraq and the artillery and air support provided during key moments of the operation," he remarked.
He affirmed that the liberation of Iraq and IS losses in Syria "are major achievements but our mission is not complete".
He stressed that destroying IS "continues to be an urgent priority for President Trump and the Administration".
He indicated that the last week, he convened 53 members of theCoalition to Defeat IS "to discuss the next phase of the campaign and the imperative for coalition burden sharing, particularly with respect to stabilizing liberated areas".
"We are grateful for the significant contributions received to date, and look for these contributions to accelerate as our partners in the SDF prepare for the next phase of operations against the few remaining ISIS strongholds in Syria," he noted.
The US top diplomat affirmed that "in parallel, we will work with the United Nations and our partners to forge a lasting settlement of the Syrian conflict that includes full representation for all Syrians, including the people of northeast Syria now recovering from the (IS) occupation". (end) si