KentHickson
500 US troops and Kurdish militias will launch a campaign to wipe out IS remnants in eastern Syria in the coming days.
"The US-led anti-IS campaign is expected to take place over the next few days to several weeks. We plan to work with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to launch an anti-IS campaign along the Euphrates river valley." , General Kenneth McKenzie, commander of the US Central Command, said on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain on November 23.
US armored patrol at an oil field in al-Hasakah province, Syria on October 3 Photo: RT
This is the first time the US military has planned a resumption of a self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) campaign since President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of all troops in Syria since early October. The White House later changed its mind, allowing troops to be deployed in eastern Syria to guard the oil fields.
"There are about 500 US soldiers mainly stationed on the east bank of the Euphrates River, from the city of Deir ez-Zor to al-Hasaka, northeastern Syria," General McKenzie said.
ISIS has almost lost control in Syria and supreme leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was also killed by US special forces in October, but the remnants of this terrorist group are still considered a threat to ISIS. regional security.
The Kurdish area and US troops control (yellow) in eastern Syria Photo: Wikimedia
In a report released on November 19, the Pentagon said that if the United States withdrew its forces from Syria, the hiding IS members could "rebuild and implement more sophisticated operations" against the civilian forces. Kurdish army. "IS can build a secret network, free the militants who are imprisoned in Kurdish prison," the report said.
The area of the Kurds and American soldiers controls (yellow) in eastern Syria. Graphics: Wikimedia.
Meanwhile, Russia and Syria accuse the US military of illegally presenting in the Middle Eastern country. The Russian Defense Ministry called the US soldiers' control of oil fields in eastern Syria "a state-level robbery". However, US Defense Department spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said the country did not profit from Syrian oil, but instead transferred the oil sales to SDF to consolidate its forces and manage IS prison camps.
