US President Donald Trump says his troops have "liberated virtually all of the territory" from the group .

US President Donald Trump delivers remarks to foreign ministers from the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh at the State Department in Washington, US on February 6, 2019.
US President Donald Trump delivers remarks to foreign ministers from the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh at the State Department in Washington, US on February 6, 2019.
(Reuters)
The United States promised on Wednesday to stay focused on permanently destroying the Daesh but asked concerned allies to contribute more, as President Donald Trump boasted that the group will soon have lost all their territory in Syria.
Trump addressed officials from more than 70 countries who came to Washington to discuss ways ahead in the battle against Daesh after Trump stunned many of them in December by declaring victory and ordering all 2,000 troops out of Syria.
Speaking at the State Department, Trump said that US-led troops had "liberated virtually all of the territory" from the group who once controlled a vast stretch of Syria and Iraq.
"It should be formally announced sometime next week that we will have 100 percent of the caliphate," Trump said. 
"Remnants — that's all they have, remnants — but remnants can be very dangerous," Trump said.
"Rest assured, we'll do what it takes to defeat every ounce and every last person within the ISIS (Daesh) madness," he said. 
The one-day event did not immediately produce major announcements. 
US leaders were partly focused on domestic priorities, with Trump using the occasion to vow a hard line on immigration and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo taking unsubtle digs at previous president Barack Obama. 'Tactical change' Opening the conference, Pompeo described Trump's Syria withdrawal as a "tactical change."
"It is not a change in the mission," Pompeo said, adding "our fight will not necessarily always be military-led."
Officials say that the US withdrawal will happen, although at a slower pace than Trump first intended.
Hoping to avoid the worst outcomes, Pompeo asked US partners to step up intelligence-sharing and to make up a $350 million shortfall in a fund intended to bring stability to Iraq. "Syria's national security essential" Speaking in Washington, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu pledged Ankara's will to ensure that the Daesh does not regroup.
"Avoidance of power vacuums that could be exploited by terrorists to undermine Syria's territorial integrity and neighbours' national security will be essential," said Cavusoglu.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali al-Hakim also asked coalition partners to consider "the integrity of Syrian territory to maintain the great victory."Source: trtworld.com