Top US general dismisses report of 1,000 forces remaining in Syria
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff described a media report that said the United States is planning to keep 1,000 forces in Syria as "factually incorrect."
"There has been no change to the plan announced in February and we continue to implement the president's direction to draw down US forces to a residual presence," added Gen. Joseph Dunford in a statement released on Sunday night.
Dunford was refuting a report by The Wall Street Journal published on Sunday. Citing US anonymous officials, the article reported that the United States would keep 1,000 military forces in Syria.
The figure represents nearly half of the forces the Pentagon claims are in the country supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against ISIS in eastern Syria and at the At Tanf garrison on the Iraq-Syria-Jordan border.
US troops remaining in Syria is at odds with US President Donald Trump's announcement in December of a full troop withdrawal.
The report added that the decision to keep troops in Syria comes as Turkey, Kurdish factions, Europe, and the United States have failed to establish a safe zone between Turkish forces and the predominately-Kurdish SDF.
Additionally, the source reportedly told the WSJ that keeping 1,000 forces in Syria was required because European and regional allies have failed to pledge to deploy their forces in the country, thus allowing for a US draw down.
Dunford struck a positive note, claiming that military planning between Washington and their NATO allies in Ankara have been "productive."
"Further, we continue to conduct detailed military planning with the Turkish General Staff to address Turkish security concerns along the Turkey-Syria border. Planning to date has been productive and we have an initial concept that will be refined in the coming days," he added in his statement.
The SDF have repeatedly hinted that they are close to routing a remaining 5,000 ISIS fighters and their families from their final bastion east of the Euphrates in besieged Baghouz.
However, the final stage of Jazira Storm has dragged on since May 2018 and the SDF and coalition say they have slowed the operation because the extremists are using human shields.
US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey said at the Munich Security Conference on February 17 that the US withdrawal would not be abrupt.