Donald Trump says Isis is ‘giving up’ because he is President

'I totally changed our military', President claims

Samuel Osborne
Wednesday 18 October 2017 08:41 BST
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Donald Trump says Isis are "giving up" now he is president

Donald Trump has taken credit for Isis "giving up," claiming the group wasn't on the run before because he wasn't President.

US-backed militias in Syria declared victory over Isis in its de facto capital Raqqa on Tuesday after a four-month battle.

In Washington, the US military said that around 90 per cent of Raqqa had been retaken but it expected the Syrian Democratic Forces to face pockets of resistance.

"I totally changed rules of engagement. I totally changed our military. I totally changed the attitudes of the military and they have done a fantastic job," Mr Trump said on The Chris Plante Show.

"Isis is now giving up, they are giving up, they are raising their hands, they are walking off. Nobody has ever seen that before."

When he asked why it hadn't happened before, Mr Trump replied: “Because you didn’t have Trump as your president."

He added: "I mean, it was a big difference. I mean, there’s a big, big difference if you look at the military now."

Defeating Isis was a key component of Mr Trump's 2016 Presidential campaign, during which he argued former President Barack Obama had been too soft on the militant group and his opponent Hillary Clinton would be no better.

As President, Mr Trump has transferred power from the White House to the Pentagon, delegating more autonomy to military officials on the ground.

However, much of his administration's strategy to combat Isis has remained the same as that of the campaign which began under former President Obama.

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