October 14, 2019

Pentagon to withdraw 1,000 troops from Syria within weeks, pulling back in fight against ISIS

Source: USA Today

Journalist: Tom Vanden Brook

The Pentagon will pull virtually all its troops from Syria over the next few weeks, reversing years of U.S. policy on fighting Islamic State terrorists in the Middle East, as Turkey presses its invasion into the country.

About 1,000 U.S. soldiers who had partnered with Kurdish forces will be flown or driven from Syria, leaving behind a small garrison at Al Tanf, near the border with Jordan, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly about troop movements.

Since 2014, the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS has relied on Kurdish forces on the ground to recapture ground from the militants.

Read the full story and more in USA Today.

Author

  • Nicholas Heras

    Former Fellow, Middle East Security Program

    Nicholas A. Heras is a former Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), working in the Middle East Security Program. His work focused on the analysis of complex...