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US forces plan to stay in Syria as long as they “need to” support its local partners and to ensure that terrorists will not return, a Pentagon official told AFP on Tuesday.
#BREAKING US military to stay in Syria “as long as we need to” says Pentagon
— AFP news agency (@AFP) 5 December 2017
“We are going to maintain our commitment on the ground as long as we need to, to support our partners and prevent the return of terrorist groups,” Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said. “To ensure an enduring defeat of ISIS, the coalition must ensure it cannot regenerate, reclaim lost ground, or plot external attacks.”
According to official reports, the US currently has about 2,000 troops on the ground in Syria. These forces are involved in operations against ISIS and keeping the US influence in the war-torn country.
According to Syrian experts, the only real reason why the US wants to stay in Syria is to achieve own geopolitical goals in the region: to oppose the Damascus government, Iran, Hezbollah and Russia.
