US denies plans to leave 1000 troops in the war zone

The US strongly denied yesterday a report it intended to leave almost 1000 troops in Syria.

A fighter of the Syrian Democratic Forces at the front in Baghouz. Picture: AFP

The US has strongly denied a report that it intended to leave almost 1000 troops in Syria, adding plans for a residual force of about 200 troops had not changed.

The Wall Street Journal had reported yesterday that as talks with Turkey, US-backed Kurdish forces and European allies have failed to produce a deal on a “safe zone” in northeastern Syria, the US now intended to keep working with Kurdish fighters in the country.

It quoted officials as saying the plan could see up to 1000 US forces spread across the country.

“A claim reported this evening by a major US newspaper that the US military is developing plans to keep nearly 1000 US troops in Syria is factually incorrect,” said General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“There has been no change to the plan announced in February and we continue to implement the President’s direction to draw down US forces to a residual presence.”

The denial came as US-backed forces said thousands of people were believed to still be inside the last Islamic State enclave in eastern Syria, as they sought to flush out diehard fighters with airstrikes and shelling.

Tens of thousands of dishevelled women, children and men have streamed out of a small pocket in the village of Baghouz near the Iraqi border in recent weeks. The huge numbers have flummoxed the Syrian Democratic Forces and slowed down its offensive.

SDF spokesman Kino Gabriel said that according to the latest group that quit the pocket, “an estimated 5000 people” are still holed up inside.

He cautioned, however, that the SDF has not been able to verify that figure. Those fleeing the pocket have previously reported widely inconsistent figures on the number of people still inside, ranging from thousands to a few hundred.

He said there was no clear timeline for the end of the operation, estimating that it may take several more days at least before ISIS is driven from its last bastion.

AFP