In a speech at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University on January 17, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson outlined what he said were the five “key end states” the US wanted to see for the Syrian conflict.

He said that the US wanted to see an “enduring defeat” for “ISIS and al-Qaida”; that it wanted to see a UN-led political process towards a stable “post-Assad leadership”; a diminished Iranian influence; the voluntary return of IDPs and refugees; and for Syria to be “free of weapons of mass destruction”.

He added: “The United States will maintain a military presence in Syria focused on ensuring ISIS cannot re-emerge.” Credit: Department of State via Storyful