Pentagon confirms reduction of military contingent in Syria

TEHRAN, Apr. 19 (MNA) – The US Department of Defense has confirmed its intention to reduce the military contingent in Syria to less than 1,000 troops in the coming months.

News ID: 2001106

EghtesadOnline: The US Department of Defense has confirmed its intention to reduce the military contingent in Syria to less than 1,000 troops in the coming months, according to a statement by US Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Sean Parnell.

"This consolidation reflects the significant steps we have made toward degrading ISIS' appeal and operational capability regionally and globally. This deliberate and conditions-based process will bring the US footprint in Syria down to less than a thousand US forces in the coming months," it claimed, TASS reported.

It added that the US Central Command will remain poised to continue strikes against the remnants of ISIL in Syria.

On Thursday, the New York Times (NYT), citing sources, reported that the US contingent in Syria may be slashed down to 500 troops. According to the sources, three out of eight US bases in the country’s northeast may be shut down.

According to Arab sources, the US has begun withdrawing its special units from Deir ez-Zor Province.