(Corrects key word used by some media clients to USA-MILITARY/SYRIA from US-MILITARY/SYRIA)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. military will consolidate its presence in Syria over the coming weeks and months in a move that could reduce the number of troops it has in the country by half, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on Friday.
The U.S. military has about 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria across a number of bases, mostly in the northeast. The troops are working with local forces to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria but was later pushed back.
“This deliberate and conditions-based process will bring the U.S. footprint in Syria down to less than a thousand U.S. forces in the coming months,” Parnell said in a statement.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the consolidation under a Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve – to select locations in Syria.
Parnell said U.S. Central Command will remain poised to continue strikes against what is left of ISIS in Syria and work with coalition partners to keep pressure on ISIS and respond to any other terrorist threats.
The United States has recently sent aircraft, including B-2 bombers, warships and air defense systems to reinforce the Middle East.
Trump said on Monday that he believes Iran is intentionally delaying a nuclear deal with the United States and that it must abandon any drive for a nuclear weapon or face a possible military strike on Tehran’s atomic facilities.
The Islamist-led government in Syria that took over after Bashar Assad was ousted in December has sought to rebuild Syria’s ties in the region and further afield.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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