The top American commander in Iraq believes U.S.-backed forces will recapture Islamic State's (IS) two major strongholds - the cities of Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq - within the next six months, his spokesman said on Wednesday.
The spokesman, Air Force Colonel John Dorrian, confirmed reported remarks by U.S. Army Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend.
Townsend was quoted as telling the Associated Press that "within the next six months I think we'll see both (the Mosul and Raqqa campaigns) conclude."
The latest word on the fight against IS came as the U.S. military was developing a plan at President Donald Trump's request to accelerate the campaign to defeat the militant group. The plan is due late this month.
IS has in recent months been weakened on many fronts, with its territory in parts of Iraq and Syria shrinking.
In Iraq, IS has lost territory in and around its northern stronghold of Mosul since U.S.-backed Iraqi forces last October began the biggest ground operation in the country since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
IS still holds swaths of Syrian territory and is putting up fierce resistance in Raqqa, its capital in eastern Syria.
It holds around 90 percent of the province of Deir Ez-Zor near the Iraqi border, along with Raqqa and some parts of the eastern countryside of Aleppo in northern Syria. It also controls Palmyra and some pockets in Deraa in the south.
Dorrian, speaking earlier to Pentagon reporters, said he expected U.S.-backed forces on the ground in Syria to nearly isolate Raqqa in coming weeks, setting the stage for a push to seize the city.
"What we would expect is that within the next few weeks is that the city would be nearly completely isolated and then there will be a decision point to move in," Dorrian said.
U.S. military leaders have warned that IS will likely turn into a more classic insurgency once it loses Raqqa and Mosul, meaning the broader fight could stretch on for years.
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