Contending that the United States has defeated the so-called Islamic State, or ISIS, territorial caliphate, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the Trump administration has “started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign.”

She, however, stressed that “these victories over ISIS in Syria do not signal the end of the Global Coalition or its campaign,” and offered that the United States and its allies stand ready to “re-engage at all levels to defend American interests whenever necessary.”

“We will continue to work together to deny radical Islamist terrorists territory, funding, support and any means of infiltrating our borders,” she added in a statement. "In fact, with President Trump promising to the American people he would act only in the national interest— and that U.S. forces have accomplished their objective to defeat the Islamic State — there was no reason for them to stay any longer," Kazianis said. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders echoed that statement saying, "Five years ago, ISIS was a very powerful and dangerous force in the Middle East, and now the United States has defeated the territorial caliphate." Trump said on Twitter: “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.”

His tweet followed a series of news reports that the U.S. was preparing to withdraw its troops from Syria. Rob Manning said in a statement that “at this time, we continue to work by, with and through our partners in the region.”

The U.S. first launched airstrikes against IS fighters in Syria in 2014.
The Pentagon reports it has begun withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria, with a spokesperson saying that the coalition has liberated ISIL-held territory but also that the campaign is not over.