New anti-IS coalition head vows to destroy caliphate

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend took authority on Sunday (Monday in Manila) of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, vowing to destroy the terrorist group’s so-called caliphate within a year but admitting the war was far from over.

Townsend, who leads the 18th Airborne Corps, took over from Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland of the Third Corps, who headed the coalition for nearly a year - a period marked by steady progress in the fight against the militants.