US Pushes to Prolong Syria Presence; Counterterrorism Claims Dismissed as Pretext
According to a report by webangah News Agency,citing The Intercept,the U.S. magazine published an article asserting that America does not plan to withdraw its troops from Syria even as political control shifts within the nation.
The Pentagon confirmed that Washington’s new policy toward Damascus does not include ending its occupation of Syrian territory. Currently, approximately 1,000 U.S. troops remain stationed in Syria.
The U.S. military has operated in Syria for years as part of its complex and ofen confusing regional strategy. Late last year, Bashar al-Assad’s government was overthrown following a swift offensive by rebel forces led by Abu Mohammad al-Julani. Recent reports indicate that the U.S. is closing three of its eight small military bases in Syria.
Experts argue that while the withdrawal from a handful of bases has been delayed for some time,it remains essential for any meaningful shift in America’s regional strategy and policy.
“Over 1,000 American troops remain stuck in Syria with no clear mission or timeline for their return,” said Rosemary Kalinik, Middle East program director at Defense Priorities. “These forces are remnants of the war against ISIS-but ISIS was defeated over five years ago and lost all its territory. It’s time for these soldiers to come home.”
When asked whether the U.S. intends to withdraw from Syria entirely, a Pentagon spokesperson stated last April: “The American presence will decrease to fewer than 1,000 troops but will not end completely.”
“Fear of an ISIS resurgence has long been used as justification,” Kalinik added, “but recent history in Afghanistan proves such claims false-America doesn’t need ground forces to counter any potential reemergence.”
In her interview with The intercept, she noted: “The primary argument for staying in Afghanistan was preventing terrorism from groups like al-Qaeda or ISIS-yet these groups never directly targeted americans there.”
“Keeping troops in Syria exposes them to retaliatory attacks,” Kalinik concluded. “It’s almost like handing hostages over to America’s enemies-ready targets whenever they choose.”
