The Department of Defense (DOD) is drawing plans to withdraw troops from Syria, according to reports.
Two defense officials familiar with the development told NBC News that President Donald Trump and those close to him have expressed an interest in pulling U.S. troops from the area. The withdrawal may be part of a 30, 60, or 90 day plan.
“It’s good for NSA Waltz to visit CENTCOM to get a sense of the entire region,” a White House official said.
“I don’t know who said that. I mean, I don’t know who said that, but we’ll make a determination on that. We’re not getting, we’re not involved in Syria,” Trump told reporters last week. “Syria is its own mess. They got enough messes over there. They don’t need us involved in everyone.”
The Biden administration increased the number of U.S. troops in Syria to 2,000. It was previously believed that 900 troops were stationed in the area.
Pentagon spokesman Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder explained at the time that the additional troops were deployed temporarily to bolster efforts against ISIS.
“As you know, we have been briefing you regularly that there are approximately 900 U.S. troops deployed to Syria. In light of the situation in Syria and the significant interest, we recently learned that those numbers were higher,” Ryder said, noting that there were “approximately 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria.”
“These additional forces are considered temporary rotational forces that deploy to meet shifting mission requirements, whereas the core 900 deployers are on longer-term deployments,” he said.
