ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Washington is planning to scale back its military presence in Syria, after it increased its troop numbers following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad by a coalition of Islamist rebels, a Pentagon official told Rudaw on Friday.
“The United States aims at downsizing its forces to below one thousand in the next two or three months,” the defense official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
A statement from Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell later in the day said they were consolidating “to select locations in Syria,” but that US forces “will remain poised to continue strikes against the remnants of ISIS in Syria.”
“We will also work closely with capable and willing Coalition partners to maintain pressure on ISIS and respond to any other terrorist threats that arise,” he added.
On Thursday, Tammy Bruce, US state department spokesperson, said that a troop withdrawal “wouldn’t be necessarily unusual.”
The “Department of Defense routinely reallocates forces based on operational needs and contingencies,” she explained, in answer to a question by Rudaw.
Washington increased its troop numbers in Syria from 900 to around 2,000 after a coalition of rebels led by the Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Assad’s regime on December 8. It explained the surge in numbers as a temporary measure to prevent the Islamic State (ISIS) from gaining a foothold in the country.
US President Donald Trump said in February that a "determination" would be made regarding American troops in Syria, but did not provide further details. “We're not involved in Syria. Syria's its own mess… They don't need us involved,” he said.
US forces in Syria are the primary backers of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which territorially defeated ISIS in 2019, ending the group’s so-called caliphate. SDF chief Mazloum Abdi has repeatedly warned against the withdrawal of US troops.
Kurdish forces in northeast Syria (Rojava) are concerned that ISIS is seeking a resurgence, taking advantage of changes in the country following the fall of Assad.
The SDF has struck a deal with the new authorities in Damascus to integrate into the national armed forces.
Updated at 11:54 pm
