Trump, security aides at odds over Syria status

STERLING, Va. (AP)

President Donald Trump is portraying the Islamic State group's ouster from its Syrian stronghold as a milestone in the U.S. fight against terrorism and a step toward a political transition and lasting peace in Syria.

That assessment, in a statement released Saturday, runs counter to warnings in recent days from his national security aides that the militants remain fully capable of striking American interests.

And there are no signs of an impending political transition, with Syrian President Bashar Assad's government newly strengthened.

Kurdish-led forces on Friday declared victory in Raqqa, the extremists' self-declared capital, where they had terrorized the population for four years.