Small Wars Journal

'Majority' of US Troops Depart Syria

Mon, 10/21/2019 - 1:49am

'Majority' of US Troops Depart Syria by Jack Detsch – Al-Monitor

A convoy of US troops and equipment departed northeast Syria today, a spokesman for the US-led coalition to defeat the Islamic State (IS) said, further winnowing the American presence in the war-torn country as a White House-brokered cease-fire appeared to be on shaky ground.

“As part of our deliberate withdrawal from northeast Syria, a convoy departed from the Kobani Landing Zone,” Col. Myles Caggins, spokesman for the US-led coalition, told Al-Monitor in a written statement. “The convoy, and all movement associated with it, has been de-conflicted with other forces in the region.” 

Caggins refused to provide details on the timeline or destination of the ground convoy, citing operational security, but said that “robust air assets” will monitor the units leaving the country. The Pentagon plans to keep aerial surveillance in place in northern Syria for the time being to monitor IS detainees, a senior defense official said on Friday…

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