The fight against the Islamic State group in Syria will be won, but it will take a little more time, American Defense Minister Jim Mattis said today in Paris.
At a press conference after a meeting with his French counterpart Florence Parly, Mattis said "we are still fighting a tough fight".
He said that the Islamic State has disintegrated, but that it has strengthened its center while controlling only two percent of the territory it previously occupied.
"In the months after the final defeat of the Islamic State, we will continue to create the security conditions that will prevent the group from growing stronger," Mattis said.
French Minister Florence Parly also assessed that the fight against extremists in Syria is not yet over.
She said that France will remain involved as long as the international coalition is fighting the Islamic State.
"We know how difficult and long-term the fight against terrorism is. Progress has been made in returning territories that were under the control of Daesh (the Arabic name for the Islamic State), but we need to continue to make sure that the fight against terrorism continues effectively," she said. .
She added that this also requires an effective political process, to organize elections in which all Syrians, including millions of refugees, could participate.
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