200 troops to stay in Syria after pullout: White House

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

The U.S. will keep about 200 troops in Syria for an as yet undetermined amount of time following a planned pullout of U.S. forces, the White House said Thursday.

"A small peacekeeping group of about 200 will remain in Syria for a period of time," spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a brief statement.

The announcement follows President Donald Trump's abrupt decision in December to withdraw all U.S. troops from the war-torn country, where American forces have been working to defeat the Daesh terror group.

Trump's policy shift rattled close allies and drew swift rebukes from some of his most ardent supporters on Capitol Hill.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the president's closest legislative allies, publicly broke with him over the planned pullout.

Following the White House's announcement, however, he lauded Trump's decision to leave some U.S. forces in Syria "as part of an international stabilizing force".

"A safe zone in Syria made up of international forces is the best way to achieve our national security objectives of continuing to contain Iran, ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS, protecting our Turkish allies and securing the Turkish border with Syria," Graham said, using another name for Daesh.

The White House did not mention the forces being part of an international force in its statement, nor did it specify where the troops would remain.

But the announcement follows a phone call earlier in the day between Trump and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in which the White House said the leaders "agreed to continue coordinating on the creation of a potential safe zone".

The 200 troops will be split between At-Tanf, an area near the Iraq-Jordan border, and northeast Syria, CNN reported, citing an anonymous U.S. official with knowledge of the matter.