The Shaky State Of The Islamic State
The Shaky State Of The Islamic State by Greg Myre, National Public Radio
President Trump says he wants a swift and complete victory over the Islamic State, and he inherits the battle at a moment when the extremist group is losing ground in Iraq and Syria. The group's self-declared caliphate is looking increasingly fragile.
Could 2017 be the year the U.S. and its allies break the back of ISIS?
The war against the Islamic State is making progress, according to analysts. But they caution that the U.S. is likely to face a recurring challenge in the Middle East: how to turn battlefield gains into a comprehensive political solution.
"The quickest way to lose against ISIS would be declaring victory too soon," says Jessica Lewis McFate of the Institute for the Study of War in Washington. "ISIS is fighting a multi-generational war, and we need to think that way as well."
Trump heads to the Pentagon on Friday for his first meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the war with ISIS is expected to be at or near the top of the agenda…