Date: Jan 30, 2019 Source: The Daily Star Daesh to lose last bits of Syria territory in weeks: U.S. WASHINGTON/BEIRUT/OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Daesh (ISIS) is expected to lose its final bits of territory in Syria to U.S.-backed forces within a couple of weeks, acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Tuesday, even as U.S. intelligence assessed that the militant group would continue to pose a threat to the United States. Daesh militants in eastern Syria are pinned down in a tiny pocket with their wives and children, forcing the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces to slow its advance to protect civilians. “I’d say 99.5 percent plus of the ISIS-controlled territory has been returned to the Syrians. Within a couple of weeks, it’ll be 100 percent,” Shanahan told reporters at the Pentagon. The annual Worldwide Threat Assessment from the Directorate of National Intelligence, released Tuesday, contradicted claims by U.S. President Donald Trump and other top administration officials that Daesh has been defeated in Syria and Iraq, saying the group still commands thousands of fighters and poses a long-term threat to both countries. During a Congressional hearing, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said Daesh and other militant groups would continue to be active for years around the world. “ISIS will continue to be a threat to the United States,” he said. “This terrorism threat is going to continue for some time.” Shanahan also said that the withdrawal of U.S. forces was in its early stages. While the Pentagon has declined to set a timeline for the withdrawal, officials have estimated that it could be complete by the end of March. Shanahan’s comments came after a suspected Daesh suicide attack in the city of Idlib against militants there. The target was the National Salvation Government, which is linked to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, an extremist alliance that controls much of the enclave in northwestern Syria. The attack killed two people and injured three others, opposition activists said. The Local Coordination Committees and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack was carried out by a woman, who exchanged fire with guards before blowing herself up. Syrian regime bombardment of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib also killed at least 11 people including nine civilians Idlib, the Observatory said. The bombing came as HTS gained full control of the town. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with two Russian officials on reinforcing their military coordination in Syria in order to avoid any “friction” there, his office said. The talks focused on “Iran and the situation in Syria, and strengthening the security coordination mechanism between the militaries in order to prevent friction,” a statement said. At the meeting, the Kremlin’s Syria envoy Alexander Lavrentiev and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin “reiterated Russia’s commitment to the maintenance of Israel’s national security,” it added. On Jan. 17, officials from both countries held talks in Israel to improve coordination between their armed forces to avoid “friction” in Israel’s operations against Iran in Syria. Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in the past few years against Iranian and Hezbollah targets, and the Jewish state and Russia have set up a “de-confliction” hotline aimed at avoiding accidental clashes.