Report: Pentagon drafting plans for U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria
Report: Pentagon drafting plans for U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria
The U.S. military said it is developing plans for the withdrawal of all U.S troops from Syria, U.S. broadcaster NBC reported on Wednesday, citing anonymous Pentagon sources.
NBC said the Department of Defence is considering scenarios for a troop withdrawal from the country within 30, 60 or 90 days.
The U.S. currently has up to 2,000 troops stationed in Syria with the stated objective of preventing a resurgence of the Islamic State terrorist group.
They work with Kurdish-led forces that control areas in the north-east of the country.
During his first term in office, President Donald Trump had plans to end the U.S. presence in Syria, but then the defence secretary, James Mattis pushed back.
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Mattis resigned in protest in late 2018.
An Islamist-led rebel alliance toppled long-time Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, ending years of bloody civil war that broke out following pro-democracy protests in 2011.
An interim government is now in power in Damascus,however, fighting continues in some parts of the country, such as in the north-east between Kurdish militias and forces close to Turkey. (dpa/NAN)
Report: Pentagon drafting plans for U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria
