US keeps allies guessing on IS fight's future after pullout Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan pledges ongoing support for the fight against Islamic State after the jihadists are finally ousted from Syria but kept allies guessing as to how once US forces pull out. In recent days, IS fighters have been cornered by a US-backed Arab-Kurdish militia in a last battle over the remaining patch of territory the militants control in northeastern Syria. IMAGES of the press conference and SOUNDBITES of Patrick Shanahan and Ursula von der Leyen