WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and Syria (all times local):9:50 a.m. The top commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East says the Islamic State group's territorial hold in Syria and Iraq is on the verge of collapse. He credits their combined work against the Islamic State group and notes U.S. forces are going to withdraw from Syria. He says battlefield gains in Iraq and Syria must be secured by continued U.S. and international efforts to prevent a return to conditions that allowed the Islamic State group to arise. President Donald Trump is expected to declare near-total triumph over the Islamic State group in Syria in his State of the Union address.

Source: Economic Times February 05, 2019 14:48 UTC