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Pentagon seeks $2 billion cut for Islamic State fight

The new US defense budget would cut funding to defeat IS by 20% as President Trump targets a withdrawal from Syria by the end of April.
A plume of smoke is seen during fighting in the Islamic State's final enclave, in the village of Baghouz, Deir Al Zor province, Syria March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC144AAE1F50

The Donald Trump administration is asking Congress for a $2 billion cut in the US-led fight against the Islamic State as the Pentagon looks toward the exits in the five-year campaign.

The funds will “ensure an enduring defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [IS, also known ISIS] and allow flexibility for a deliberate, coordinated, disciplined withdrawal from Syria,” the Pentagon said in budget documents released today.

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