According to officials familiar with the situation, the announcement
that the US is ending its war in Syria and withdrawing all ground troops
also applies to the air war. US warplanes will stop striking Syria after the troops have left.
The Pentagon refused to confirm the decision officially, saying that
they will keep conducting airstrikes so long as US troops are on the
ground. After that, they said they “would not speculate.”
US warplanes have been killing a large number of civilians in recent
weeks, focusing on strikes against ISIS-held towns along the Iraqi
border. Those strikes have been hitting populated areas.
The Pentagon seems to be planning to continue these strikes for now,
though to what end isn’t entirely clear, as it would be backing Kurdish
YPG attacks on towns in the lead-up to a Turkish invasion targeting the
Kurds.
Officials: US Will End Air War in Syria After Troops Withdraw
Pentagon says strikes will continue so long as US troops are present
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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