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The issue is whether political leaders have mistaken tactical accomplishments for strategic success and then proclaimed victory before the campaign has achieved its political objectives.
History repeatedly warns against that temptation. When it was thought that the Nazi army was defeated, they launched the Ardennes offensive. The Taliban survived twenty years of military pressure, only to become the government of Afghanistan again. ISIS regenerated after losing its territorial caliphate. Hamas and Hezbollah have continued fighting despite enormous losses. Muqtada al-Sadr eventually exchanged the battlefield for the halls of parliament. Enemies adapt because they have to, and because often survival is their definition of victory.
