This archive report was first published on 25 October 2019.
On October 23, 2019, US President Donald Trump announced plans to withdraw all US troops from northern Syria, citing a desire to end the country's involvement in the region's conflicts.
However, just days later, Trump reversed course, stating that a small number of US troops will remain in the area to protect oil fields.
"We have secured the oil and, therefore, a small number of US troops will remain in the area where they have the oil," Trump said in a statement.
According to a defense official, the US and its partners had made significant gains in the fight against ISIS, including gaining control of oil fields in Eastern Syria, a crucial source of revenue for the terrorist group.
"The US is committed to reinforcing our position, in coordination with our SDF partners, in northeast Syria with additional military assets to prevent those oil fields from falling back to into the hands of ISIS or other destabilizing actors," the official said.
