Top General: Fewer Than 1,000 US Troops Will Remain in Syria

Says objective will remain fighting ISIS

In comments on ABC’s “This Week,” Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said that it is his belief that fewer than 1,000 US ground troops will remain in Syria going forward, and the focus of those troops would remain fighting ISIS.

President Trump actually revised the US military objectives in Syria weeks ago to securing the oil, and while Gen. Milley made reference to the troops staying around the oil, he seemed not to want to emphasize that as the centerpiece of the US operation.

Gen. Milley said he wouldn’t commit to a specific number of troops in Syria yet, and that the Pentagon is still going through the analysis, but his early estimate was 500 to 600. History has suggested the US almost always keeps more troops than these estimates.

The number of troops being estimated right now is based on holding oilfields with no one contesting them, and fighting a largely non-existent ISIS. Additional troops should be expected in the area for the time being, as the US is building bases around the oilfields with an eye toward long-term presence.

Author: Jason Ditz

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.