2nd LD Writethru: Trump vows to fight IS till its defeat

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The United States would continue fighting the Islamic State (IS) until the radical group is defeated, President Donald Trump said in his first State of the Union address Tuesday.

"There is much more work to be done. We will continue our fight until ISIS is defeated," Trump said, referring to the terror group by its other name, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

"We continue to have all necessary power to detain terrorists -- wherever we chase them down, wherever we find them," the president said, asking for support from the Congress.

"In the past, we have foolishly released hundreds and hundreds of dangerous terrorists, only to meet them again on the battlefield -- including the ISIS leader, al-Baghdadi, who we captured, who we had, who we released," Trump said.

There are conflicting reports about the current status of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of IS. There were several reports that he was wounded or killed in airstrikes while some say he is alive and hiding. He was arrested by U.S. forces in Iraq in 2004 but released after a period of internment.

In December 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially declared full liberation of Iraq from IS militants after Iraqi forces recaptured all areas seized by the extremist group.

However, the Russian Defense Ministry said the U.S.-led coalition had reduced airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq, allowing it to send reinforcements to Syria and complicate the advance of Syrian troops. Enditem