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US President Donald Trump has promised to "totally crush" the last militants of the "Islamic State" group after the end of his five-year "caliphate".
Trump's remarks come after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) raised the flags of victory in the Syrian town of Baghuz, the last stronghold of ISIS.
He promised to fight "until he was finally defeated where he operated."
Despite the loss of territory in Syria and Iraq, ISIS remains active in countries ranging from Nigeria to the Philippines.
At its peak, the group controlled 88,000 km 2 (34,000 km 2) in both countries.
After five years of fierce fighting, local forces backed by world powers have left the IS at a few hundred square meters near the Syrian border with Iraq.
What is Trump's new strategy on the SI?
In a statement released by the White House on Saturday, Trump said the United States "will continue to work with their partners and allies … to fight [IS] until he is finally defeated. "
"The United States will defend American interests whenever necessary," the statement said.
Mr. Trump described the loss of IS territory as "a proof of his false story," adding, "They have lost all prestige and all power."
He also appealed to "all young people on the Internet who believe in [IS] propaganda ", saying:" Think rather of having a good life. "
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How did the final battle unfold?
The SDF alliance began its last badault on ISIS in early March. The latest activists were arrested in the village of Baghuz, in eastern Syria.
The alliance was forced to slow down its offensive after finding that a large number of civilians were also on site, sheltering in buildings, tents and tunnels.
Thousands of women and children, including foreign nationals, have fled the fighting and suffered severe shortages to the IDP-run IDP camps.
Many ISF fighters have also abandoned Baghuz, but those who remain have resisted fiercely by deploying suicide bombers and car bombs.
Why are there still concerns about EI?
The EI originated from al-Qaeda in Iraq as a result of the invasion of Iraq by the United States in 2003.
He joined the rebellion against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2011. In 2014, he had seized a strip of land in both countries and proclaimed a "caliphate" .
Earlier, the EI had dominated nearly eight million people and generated billions of dollars from oil, extortion, theft and kidnapping, using its territory as a base for form to launch foreign attacks.
- The rise and fall of the Islamic State
- Why is there a war in Syria?
The fall of Baghuz is a major moment in the campaign against the IS. The Iraqi government has declared the victory against the militants in 2017.
But the group is far from being defeated. US officials estimate that the ISE could have 15,000 to 20,000 active armed members in the region, many of them in dormant cells, and that it will regain its insurgent roots while attempting to rebuild.
Even as his defeat in Baghuz was imminent, IS issued a provocative audio recording allegedly from his spokesman Abu Hbadan al-Muhajir, claiming that the caliphate was not over.
The location of the group leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is not known. But he avoided being captured or killed even though he had fewer places to hide.
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