STORY: :: A White House security official says American
troops will remain in Syria to combat Islamic State
:: Jon Finer, U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor
:: Washington, D.C.
:: December 10, 2024
"So those troops are there for a very specific and important reason, not some sort of bargaining chip. They're there, they have been there now for the better part of a decade or more, to fight ISIS, a terrorist group that threatened, not just the United States, but many of our partners and allies all around the world, including in Europe and in the region."
"In fact, just a couple of days ago, to prevent ISIS from thinking it could seize any sort of advantage or opportunity based on some perceived vacuum after [the regime of Syrian President Bashar] Assad fell, the United States took a set of strikes against ISIS, that we announced, to send a signal and to enforce the reality that ISIS is not going to be under less pressure because of circumstances that emerged in recent days. And so we are still committed to that mission, which we think is fundamentally tied to our interests in keeping our people and our partners safe."
He said the Biden administration is in contact with members of the incoming team of President-elect Donald Trump and keeping them apprised.
