Syria, March 23 (10:48 PM PKT)(AFP/APP): Islamic State forces remain as dangerous today as when they were ousted from their last Syrian bastion two years ago, Kurdish forces warned Tuesday as they marked the anniversary. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said counter-terrorism efforts today were “more difficult than face-to-face fighting with IS militants, and are considered more dangerous,” in a statement to mark their victory in March 2019. “The fall of the last patch of IS territory in northeast Syria does not mean complete defeat,” the SDF added. On Tuesday, Kurdish authorities, local tribal leaders and members of the US-led coalition who pushed IS from their Syrian stronghold, marked the anniversary with a military parade in the US-protected Al-Omar oil field, in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor. The IS defeat in the eastern riverside hamlet of Baghouz marked the end of a cross-border “caliphate” declared in 2014 across swaths of Iraq and Syria. But two years on, IS has shown that it does not need a stronghold to pose a potent threat, with the jihadists carrying out regular attacks and ambushes, including setting off roadside bombs and machine-gunning vehicles. They are also feared to be recruiting fresh fighters, including among tens of thousands of suspected … Continue reading Islamic state forces remain as dangerous today as they were in the past