The remarks by US General Joseph Votel, head of the US military’s Central Command, represent the latest warning by current and former US officials about the risk of a resurgence by Islamic State following a planned US withdrawal from Syria ordered in December by President Donald Trump, according to Reuters.

“We do have to keep pressure on this network. ... They have the ability of coming back together if we don’t,” Votel told a Senate hearing. He added that territory under Islamic State’s control had been reduced to less than 20 square miles and would be recaptured by US-backed forces prior to the US withdrawal.

Later, former Special Presidential Envoy to the Coalition against Islamic State Brett McGurk tweeted a message of support for Votel’s comments.

“If you want to know what’s really going on in #Iraq and #Syria and the fight against #ISIS, it’s worth listening carefully to General Votel. America has been fortunate to have had him on watch over the last three years,” he wrote.

McGurk resigned in protest after US President Donald Trump abruptly announced his intention to withdraw US troops from Syria.

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