Fight Against ISIS in Last Syria Stronghold May End Soon: US Envoy

Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by U.S. special forces, walk on a building near Raqa's central hospital as they clear the last positions on the frontline on Oct. 16, 2017, in the ISIS group jihadists' crumbling stronghold. US-backed fighters have battled hundreds of ISIS jihadists holed up in the last pockets of Syria's Raqa, as the former extremist stronghold stood on the verge of capture. (Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images)US-backed fighters battled hundreds of ISIS jihadists holed up in the last pockets of Syria's Raqa, as the former extremist stronghold stood on the verge of capture. BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images

WASHINGTON—The Trump administration hopes that the U.S.-backed fight against the ISIS terrorist group in its last foothold in northeastern Syria will end within months, but American forces will remain to ensure the “enduring defeat” of the terrorist group, a top U.S. diplomat said on Nov. 14.

Ambassador James Jeffrey, the U.S. special representative for Syria engagement, said the United States believes the way forward in Syria includes defeating ISIS, reinvigorating the political process and winding down the long-running civil war.