Trump UNLEASHES Military On ISIS Capital

Person speaking at a podium wearing a red hat.

The Trump administration transformed America’s ISIS campaign from methodical containment into an overwhelming blitz that crushed the terrorist caliphate in record time, proving that unleashing military commanders from political micromanagement delivers decisive battlefield victories.

Story Overview

Trump inherited Obama’s Operation Inherent Resolve and immediately accelerated the campaign by delegating broader strike authority to field commanders
The intensified military approach led to the rapid fall of ISIS strongholds including Raqqa in 2017 and the final territorial defeat at Baghouz in March 2019
Trump’s “find them and kill them” strategy demonstrated the effectiveness of coalition airpower combined with local ground forces like the Syrian Democratic Forces
While ISIS lost its territorial caliphate, the organization adapted into an insurgent network that continues low-level operations across Syria and Iraq

Trump’s Military Unleashed: From Constraint to Annihilation

When Trump took office in January 2017, he inherited a methodical anti-ISIS campaign that had been grinding forward under Obama since 2014. The new president immediately ordered his military to develop plans to accelerate the defeat of ISIS, removing many of the operational constraints that had slowed the campaign. Trump delegated expanded strike authority to field commanders, eliminating the White House micromanagement that had characterized the previous administration’s approach to targeting decisions.

This shift in operational tempo proved decisive across multiple Syrian battlefields. The U.S. military and coalition partners launched high-intensity air and artillery campaigns supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces in their assault on major ISIS strongholds. The difference was immediate and dramatic compared to the cautious, constraint-heavy approach that had preceded it.

Raqqa Falls: The ISIS Capital Crumbles

The most visible demonstration of Trump’s accelerated strategy came with the battle for Raqqa, ISIS’s self-proclaimed capital. Throughout 2017, U.S. forces provided overwhelming air support and artillery fire as the SDF closed in on the city. The urban warfare was intense and destructive, but it achieved what years of measured strikes had not: the complete collapse of ISIS’s primary command center and symbolic headquarters.

By October 2017, Raqqa fell to U.S.-backed forces in what Trump called a “critical breakthrough” in defeating ISIS. The victory validated his approach of empowering military commanders to prosecute the war without political interference. The fall of Raqqa sent shockwaves through ISIS’s remaining territory, accelerating defections and the breakdown of their governance structures across eastern Syria.

The Final Push: Baghouz and Total Territorial Defeat

Following Raqqa’s liberation, coalition forces pressed their advantage into the Middle Euphrates River Valley, systematically dismantling ISIS’s remaining territorial holdings. The terrorist organization found itself compressed into increasingly smaller pockets along the Euphrates River, unable to maneuver or resupply effectively under constant coalition surveillance and strikes.

The final act came at Baghouz, a small town on Syria’s eastern border that became ISIS’s last territorial stand. In February and March 2019, SDF forces besieged the enclave with intensive U.S. air and artillery support. When Baghouz fell in March 2019, Trump declared the territorial caliphate “100 percent defeated,” marking the end of ISIS as a governing entity after nearly five years of territorial control.

From Caliphate to Insurgency: The Ongoing Threat

Despite the territorial victory, military and intelligence assessments cautioned that ISIS had adapted into a persistent insurgent and terrorist network. The organization’s ability to govern territory was destroyed, but its capacity for guerrilla warfare, assassinations, and external attacks remained significant. This reality has been borne out in subsequent years as ISIS cells continue staging attacks across Syria and Iraq.

The U.S. maintains approximately 1,000 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq to continue counter-ISIS operations, conducting ongoing airstrikes and special operations raids against terrorist cells. The campaign’s success in destroying the caliphate was undeniable, but it also highlighted the challenge of completely eliminating an ideologically-driven insurgent movement that can operate without territorial control.