White House: 200 US troops will remain in Syria – By Diana Stancy Correll (Washington Examiner) / Feb 21 2019
Approximately 200 U.S. troops will remain in Syria after the rest of the 2,000 U.S. troops stationed in the region are withdrawn, according to a new report.
“A small peacekeeping group of about 200 will remain in Syria for a period of time,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
President Trump declared in December that the Islamic State was overthrown and that troops would pull out of Syria and earlier this month stressed that U.S. troops must return home and that “great nations do not fight endless wars.”
“Now, as we work with our allies to destroy the remnants of ISIS, it is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home,” Trump said during his State of the Union address.
The plan has sparked concern among advisers and Kurdish allies that Kurdish forces who have aided the U.S. will not be protected from Turkish forces — given that Turkey considers some Kurdish forces in Syria terrorists.
However, Trump spoke over the phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier Thursday, and Sanders said the two agreed to “continue coordinating on the creation of a potential safe zone.”
Additionally, acting Secretary of Defense Pat Shanahan and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford are scheduled to meet with their Turkish counterparts in Washington this week.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house-200-u-s-troops-will-remain-in-syria
