The Region News reported the Pentagon as saying: US military policy towards fighting Islamic State militants in Syria remains the same following discussions with President Donald Trump this week, and the military has not been given a timeline for withdrawing troops.
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, a senior administration official said on Wednesday, according to Region news. Trump had signalled his desire to get U.S. forces out of Syria in a speech last week, and officials said he had privately been pressing for an early withdrawal in talks with his national security aides, but has not given the U.S. military any timeline.
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 and other U.S.-backed fighters capture territory from Islamic State (ISIS).
When asked whether the Pentagon would assist in stabilizing efforts, Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said: "Our mission is a military mission, but we will always support and provide the conditions necessary for our diplomats to be successful."