Not Quite Ridded

It was less than four months ago when we were told

Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all! In any event, the United States, under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of ISIS. Where is our “Thank you America?”

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2018

A news reporter fairly uncontroversially responded "ISIS was defeated in war-ravaged Syria and Iraq with the help of military support from a US-led coalition of forces including Britain, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and Denmark." Even now: "President Bashar Assad has gone on to crush the last remaining rebel enclaves near the cities of Damascus and Homs and swept rebels from the southwest."

Not so fast, Skippy.  On Wednesday, Reuters reported

Daesh (ISIS) militants killed about 100 people in a series of attacks on government-held parts of southwestern Syria Wednesday, including multiple suicide blasts in Swaida city, official sources said.

The coordinated attacks were the deadliest to hit government territory in many months. Some 96 people were killed and 176 wounded in total, the head of the Swaida health authority told the pro-Damascus Sham FM radio.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based activist group, said at least 100 people were killed. Daesh said in a statement that it had carried out the attacks.

Northeast of Swaida city, the jihadists launched simultaneous attacks on several villages where they clashed with government forces, state media and the Observatory said.

In the city itself, at least two attackers blew themselves up, one near a marketplace and the second in another district, state television said. State news agency SANA said two other Daesh militants were killed before they could detonate their bombs.

The Observatory said jihadists seized hostages from the villages they had attacked. It said the dead included at least 35 civilians.

Swaida Governor Amer al-Eshi said authorities also arrested another attacker. "The city of Swaida is secure and calm now," he told state-run Ikhbariyah TV.

The man who once bragged "I alone can fix it" asked "Where is our 'thank you, America?"" He might even deserve that, despite ISIL still being in business, once he says "thank you, Britain," "thank you, Australia," "thank you, Canada," "thank you, France: and "thank you, Germany."

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