US to bring down forces in Syria to less than 1,000 in coming months: Pentagon

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Pentagon announced Friday that it is consolidating US forces in Syria under the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, reducing troop numbers to less than 1,000 in the coming months.

"Recognizing the success the United States has had against ISIS, including its 2019 territorial defeat under President Trump, today the Secretary of Defense directed the consolidation of U.S. forces in Syria under Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve to select locations in Syria," spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

The consolidation reflects the "significant" steps the US has made toward degrading the operational capability of the Daesh/ISIS terror group regionally and globally, Parnell added.

"This deliberate and conditions-based process will bring the U.S. footprint in Syria down to less than a 1,000 U.S. forces in the coming months," he stressed.