US-led coalition scrambles to realign Islamic State mission following Syria exit

Jack Detsch

Jan 2, 2019

A Coalition convoy of U.S. led international coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) stops to test fire their M2 machine guns and MK19 grenade launcher in the Middle Euphrates River Valley in the Deir ez-Zor province, Syria, November 22, 2018. Picture taken November 22, 2018. Courtesy Matthew Crane/U.S. Army/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC168AA782C0 — A convoy of the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State stops to test-fire their weapons in the Middle Euphrates River Valley in the Deir ez-Zor province, Syria, Nov. 22, 2018. — Matthew Crane/US Army/Handout via REUTERS

The US-backed coalition to defeat the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS) is scrambling to rejigger its mission following President Donald Trump’s decision to pull American troops out of Syria.

In a message to coalition member nations sent on Dec. 19, just as Trump announced the phased withdrawal of 2,000 US service members from Syria over the next 30 days, the coalition said it “must continue its preparations for the next phase of its campaign” despite the American decision.