Pentagon has said the U.S. military policy towards fighting IS militants in Syria remains the same following discussions with President Donald Trump this week. It said the military has not been given a timeline for withdrawing troops.
A senior administration official said Trump agreed in a National Security Council meeting this week to keep U.S. troops in Syria a little longer to defeat Islamic State but wants them out relatively soon.
The official said Trump wants to ensure Islamic State militants are defeated but wants other countries in the region and the United Nations to step up and help provide stability in Syria.
The United States is conducting air strikes in Syria and has deployed about 2,000 troops on the ground, including special operations forces whose advice has helped Kurdish militia and other U.S. backed fighters capture territory from Islamic State, also known as ISIS.
The Pentagon and State Department have said a longer-term U.S. effort would be needed to ensure that Islamic State’s defeat is a lasting one.
