US says to bring down forces in Syria to less than 1,000 within months

“Recognizing the success the United States has had against ISIS, including its 2019 territorial defeat under President Trump, today the Secretary of Defense directed the consolidation of U.S. forces in Syria under Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve to select locations in Syria,” spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

The consolidation reflects the “significant” steps the US has made toward degrading the operational capability of the Daesh/ISIS terror group regionally and globally, Parnell added.

“This deliberate and conditions-based process will bring the U.S. footprint in Syria down to less than a 1,000 U.S. forces in the coming months,” he stressed.

Stressing that in the last 10 years, the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (Daesh or ISIL) has made “major gains,” Parnell said US Central Command (CENTCOM) launched dozens of airstrikes in the last year to further degrade the capabilities of Daesh.

CENTCOM will “remain poised to continue strikes against the remnants of ISIS in Syria,” he continued, adding the US will work with coalition partners to maintain pressure on the terror group.

The Pentagon continues to maintain a “significant amount of capability in the region and the ability to make dynamic force posture adjustments based on evolving security situations on the ground,” he stressed.

US President Donald Trump said in late January that the US “will make a determination” on troops in Syria following a report that said he intends to withdraw American forces.

“I don’t know who said that, but we’ll make a determination on that,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

“We’re not involved in Syria. Syria is in its own mess. They’ve got enough messes over there. They don’t need us involved,” he added.