The United States military will keep a "small peacekeeping group" of more than 200 American troops in Syria after the majority of the U.S. soldiers leave, according to a White House statement released on Monday.
CNN reported President Donald Trump ordered a withdrawal of all 2,000 American troops currently serving in Syria after claiming the defeat of the Islamic State in the nation.
But U.S.-backed Syrian forces have still been fighting against IS forces in the terrorist organization's last remaining outpost.
Trump has been facing pressure from his military and national security advisers about his decision to pull out the troops and have some remain to help protect the Kurdish forces, who helped fight against the Islamic State and now face threats from Turkey's military.
“A small peacekeeping group of about 200 will remain in Syria for a period of time,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
The decision was announced after Trump spoke with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, with the statement from the White House claiming the two would “continue coordinating on the creation of a potential safe zone.”
One senior administration official told Reuters Trump's decision to pull forces out from Syria for some time, but it's uncertain how long the 200 troops would remain in Syria, or where in the nation they would be deployed.
Having a small number of American troops in Syria could also help create a pathway for European allies to send hundreds of troops to establish a potential safe zone in northeast Syria.
The decision to retain peacekeepers in Syria could help the Trump administration fend off criticism about the withdrawal order since the Islamic State could regain power in the region.
“This is a clear direction to our allies and coalition members that we will be on the ground in some capacity,” the senior U.S. administration official said.
European allies have also been hesitant to offer any troops to serve in Syria without a firm promise from Washington about remaining committed to the region.
Belgian Defense Minister Didier Reynders said he would be bringing the topic up while meeting with acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan on Thursday.
One U.S. official said the initial plan was to have some troops from the U.S. remain in northeastern Syria and at Tanf, but warned that discussions about the plan was ongoing.
-WN.com, Maureen Foody
Photo:
AP / Lolita Baldor
