PRESS STATEMENT
ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE
MARCH 23, 2021
Two years ago, the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, together with our local partners, liberated all territory controlled by ISIS in Iraq and Syria, a major milestone in the effort to ensure the terrorist group’s enduring defeat. We commend the bravery and sacrifice of the Iraqi Security Forces, the Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga, and the Syrian Democratic Forces in the hard-fought battles against ISIS. We continue to work alongside these partner forces to maintain pressure on ISIS remnants.
Since the defeat of ISIS’s fraudulent territorial “caliphate,” the 83-member Global Coalition has continued its efforts to disrupt ISIS’s ability to organize, plan attacks, and recruit and radicalize online. We have removed key ISIS leaders and continue to pursue those remaining to prevent their resurgence and bring them to justice. Nearly eight million people have returned to their homes and, with the assistance of Coalition stabilization support, have begun rebuilding their lives.
Although the liberation of territory in Iraq and Syria was an important turning point in the fight against ISIS, our mission is far from complete. The Global Coalition remains united in its determination to see this enemy destroyed and will continue its efforts against the group in Iraq, Syria, and other countries. The United States is firmly committed to the Global Coalition and to the lasting defeat of ISIS.