GOVERNMENTS today greeted the fall of the Islamic State’s last bastion, marking the end of its self-declared “caliphate”, as a “milestone”, but warned of remaining dangers, as Syrian Kurds announced a “new phase” in the conflict.

France

President Emmanuel Macron said a source of potential terror attacks has been “eliminated”, but warned that “the threat remains, and the fight against terrorist groups must continue”.

Britain

Prime Minister Theresa May called the bastion’s fall “a historic milestone” in the fight against IS, and said the British government remains “committed to eradicating their poisonous ideology”.

Germany

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas described the end of the caliphate as “an important step”, but warned that “it is, nonetheless, clear that IS continues to represent a considerable threat”, adding that “we shall not underestimate that threat”.

The US

William Roebuck, an envoy to the US-led coalition fighting IS, called the fall of the group’s last bastion a “critical milestone” that delivered “a crushing blow” to IS.

Syrian Kurds

“A new phase in the fight against terrorists” is beginning, said Mazloum Kobane, overall commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, adding that the target now is to eliminate IS “sleeper cells”. – AFP, March 23, 2019.