WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement on Tuesday after American-backed forces gained full control of Raqqa from the Islamic State. Raqqa had been the terrorist organization’s de facto capitol since 2014.

“America owes an enormous debt of gratitude to the brave men and women who risked their lives to win this tough fight. Taking back Raqqa is the culmination of months of planning, and it’s an important milestone in the military fight against ISIS. The question now is what comes next,” said Murphy. “ISIS is at a crossroads. Their self-proclaimed caliphate is falling apart, their territory is collapsing and their fighters are fleeing. The U.S. and our allies need to do everything we can to make sure extremist groups aren’t again able to exploit a political vacuum to fuel a resurgence, but our overall policy in the region remains largely incoherent. The Trump administration needs to have a strategy for what comes after the battle, and they need to work with Congress in order to implement it.”

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