The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) says the Islamic State group’s five-year “caliphate” is over after the militants’ defeat in Syria. SDF fighters have been raising victory flags in Baghuz, the last stronghold of the jihadist group. US President Donald Trump praised the “liberation” of Syria, but added: “We will remain vigilant against [IS].” The jihadists retain a presence in …

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces say the Islamic State group has lost its last bit of territory in Syria, bringing to an end its “caliphate”. A spokesman for the SDF declared the “100% territorial defeat” of IS. The jihadist group once controlled 88,000 sq km (34,000 sq miles) of land stretching across Syria and Iraq. Despite the loss of territory, …

President Donald Trump has overturned decades of US policy by saying it is time to recognise Israel’s sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, which it captured from Syria in 1967. In a tweet, Mr Trump declared that the plateau was of “critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and regional stability”. Israel annexed the Golan in 1981 …