“What is driving the withdrawal of course is our mission, which is the defeat of ISIS, and so that is our principal focus, and that is making sure that we protect our forces, that we don’t withdraw in a manner that increases the risk to our forces,” US Army General Joseph Votel, head of the US Central Command, said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing.
“There is not pressure on me to meet a specific date at this particular time,” Votel said.
About 200 other US troops will remain at the U. military outpost of Tanf, near the border with Iraq and Jordan.
In December, Trump put a video on Twitter where he said US troops were leaving Syria.
Votel said Russia viewed Trump’s announcement positively.
“It puts Russia more in the driver’s seat ... It solidifies their presence in the Middle East,” Votel said.
Votel said he believed that ISIS militants being evacuated from the remaining territory controlled by the group were largely “unrepentant, unbroken and radicalized.” He said the militant group was waiting “for the right time to resurge.” “We will need to maintain a vigilant offensive against this now widely dispersed and disaggregated organization that includes leaders, fighters, facilitators, resources and toxic ideology,” Votel added.
A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan spoke with his French counterpart and other European allies on Syria. He is expected to speak with other European allies next week.
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