The decision was a reversal of President Donald Trump’s order, announced in December, that all 2,000 U. S. troops in Syria would leave, since their mission to destroy the Islamic State caliphate had been achieved.
WASHINGTON — The White House said Thursday that «a small peacekeeping group of about 200» U. S. troops will stay in Syria beyond the planned withdrawal of American forces this spring.
An announcement by spokeswoman Sarah Sanders did not specify where the troops would be based, what their responsibilities would be, or how long they would stay, beyond «a period of time.»
The decision was a reversal of President Donald Trump’s order, announced in December, that all 2,000 U. S. troops in Syria would leave, since their mission to destroy the Islamic State caliphate had been achieved. Complete withdrawal was expected by the end of April.
Defense officials, lawmakers and some White House aides have expressed concern that tens of thousands of militant fighters remained scattered throughout Syria and Iraq. France and Britain, which also have troops in Syria, rebuffed a U. S. request to leave forces there to continue operations against militant remnants and patrol a «safe zone» in northeastern Syria, along the border with Turkey, unless some U. S. troops remained.
Turkey initially proposed the 20-mile safe zone to prevent what it says have been cross-border attacks by fighters of the Peoples’ Protection Units, the Kurdish forces that dominate the U.
