The United States must maintain its military presence in Syria to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State as a significant threat after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad‘s government, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told The Associated Press.
Why It Matters
The future of the U.S. military presence in Syria was called into question after a swift insurgency toppled Assad on December 8, bringing an end to his family’s decadeslong rule.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, tensions across the Middle East have continued to remain high, prompting concerns from countries in the region.
What To Know
American troops remain essential in Syria, particularly to safeguard detention camps housing tens of thousands of former Islamic State fighters and their families, Austin said Wednesday in one of his final interviews before leaving office.
Estimates suggest that the camps house between 8,000 and 10,000 Islamic State fighters, with at least 2,000 classified as highly dangerous.
The U.S. currently has approximately 2,000 troops stationed in Syria to counter Islamic State fighters, a substantial increase from the long-reported figure of 900. The initial deployment began in 2015 after the militant group seized control of a significant portion of the country.
U.S. forces have collaborated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in operations targeting Islamic State fighters, offering support to a group Turkey regards as linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara designates as a terrorist organization.
During his first term in 2018, President-elect Donald Trump attempted to withdraw all U.S. forces from Syria, a move that led to the resignation of then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Last month, as the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group advanced against Assad’s forces, Trump took to social media to assert that the U.S. military should avoid involvement in the conflict.
What People Are Saying
Austin said to The Associated Press: “I think ISIS fighters would enter back into the mainstream” if U.S. troops leave Syria unprotected.
“I think that we still have some work to do in terms of keeping a foot on the throat of ISIS,” Austin said.
The defense secretary also said that the SDF “have been good partners. At some point, the SDF may very well be absorbed into the Syrian military and then Syria would own all the (IS detention) camps and hopefully keep control of them.”
“But for now I think we have to protect our interests there,” Austin added.
What’s Next
The Syrian transitional government is still in its formative stages, leaving uncertainty about its implications for the country’s future.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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