{"id":46112,"date":"2019-10-20T14:14:13","date_gmt":"2019-10-20T14:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/10\/20\/pentagon-chief-says-american-troops-leaving-syria-for-western-iraq\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:05:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:05:20","slug":"pentagon-chief-says-american-troops-leaving-syria-for-western-iraq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/20\/pentagon-chief-says-american-troops-leaving-syria-for-western-iraq\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon chief says American troops leaving Syria will conduct anti-ISIS operations from Iraq"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KABUL, Afghanistan \u2014 While President Donald Trump insists he\u2019s bringing home Americans from \u201cendless wars\u201d in the Mideast, his Pentagon chief says all U.S. troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq and the American <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/18\/loss-of-us-intelligence-collection-from-syria-withdrawal-threatens-fight-against-isis\/\" target=_blank>military will continue operations against the Islamic State<\/a> group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They aren\u2019t coming home and the United States isn\u2019t leaving the turbulent Middle East, according to current plans outlined by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/10\/20\/esper-says-reduction-of-american-forces-in-afghanistan-relies-on-a-peace-agreement-with-taliban\/\" target=_blank>U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper before he arrived in Afghanistan<\/a> on Sunday. The fight in Syria against ISIS, once spearheaded by American allied Syrian Kurds who have been cast aside by Trump, will be undertaken by U.S. forces, possibly from neighboring Iraq. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Esper did not rule out the idea that U.S. forces would conduct counterterrorism missions from Iraq into Syria. But he told reporters traveling with him that those details will be worked out over time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump nonetheless tweeted: \u201cUSA soldiers are not in combat or ceasefire zones. We have secured the Oil. Bringing soldiers home!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/10\/17\/isis-will-be-back-lawmakers-voice-syria-fears-to-pentagon-chiefs\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"147\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/isis.png.png?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">&#8216;ISIS will be back.\u2019 Lawmakers voice Syria fears to Pentagon chiefs<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">House and Senate lawmakers on Thursday left Pentagon briefings on the crisis in Syria frustrated with the tangle of problems that came with President Donald Trump\u2019s decision to pull troops from Syria and voicing new fears the Islamic State will regroup to wage terror.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The president declared this past week that Washington had no stake in defending the Kurdish fighters who died by the thousands as America\u2019s partners fighting in Syria against ISIS extremists. Turkey conducted a weeklong offensive into northeastern Syria against the Kurdish fighters before a military pause. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s time for us to come home,\u201d Trump said, defending his removal of U.S. troops from that part of Syria and praising his decision to send more troops and military equipment to Saudi Arabia to help the kingdom defend against Iran. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Esper\u2019s comments to reporters traveling with him were the first to specifically lay out where American troops will go as they shift from Syria and what the counter-ISIS fight could look like. Esper said he has spoken to his Iraqi counterpart about the plan to shift about 1,000 troops from Syria into western Iraq. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s top aide, asked about the fact that the troops were not coming home as the president claimed they would, said, \u201cWell, they will eventually.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told \u201cFox News Sunday\u201d that \u201cthe quickest way to get them out of danger was to get them into Iraq.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19293479865372.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"American military convoy\" class=\"wp-image-52450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19293479865372.jpg.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19293479865372.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19293479865372.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19293479865372.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An American military convoy stops near the town of Tel Tamr, north Syria, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019. (Baderkhan Ahmad\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Esper left Washington on Saturday, U.S. troops were continuing to pull out of northern Syria after Turkey\u2019s invasion into the border region. Reports of sporadic clashes continued between Turkish-backed fighters and the Syria Kurdish forces despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/17\/turkey-agrees-to-5-day-cease-fire-in-syria-pence-says\/\" target=_blank>a five-day cease-fire agreement<\/a> hammered out Thursday between U.S. and Turkish leaders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Turkish military\u2019s death toll has risen to seven soldiers since it launched its offensive on Oct. 9. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump ordered the bulk of the approximately 1,000 U.S. troops in Syria to withdraw after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made it clear in a phone call that his forces were about to invade Syria to push back Kurdish forces that Turkey considers terrorists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pullout <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/opinion\/2019\/10\/16\/another-former-centcom-general-weighs-in-with-displeasure-over-trumps-syria-gambit\/\" target=_blank>largely abandons America\u2019s Kurdish allies<\/a> who have fought ISIS alongside U.S. troops for several years. Between 200 and 300 U.S. troops will remain at the southern <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/15\/us-spec-ops-secrets-could-fall-into-hands-of-russians-and-syrians-in-pullout\/\" target=_blank>Syrian outpost of Al-Tanf<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Esper said the troops going into Iraq will have two missions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOne is to help defend Iraq and two is to perform a counter-ISIS mission as we sort through the next steps,\u201d he said. \u201cThings could change between now and whenever we complete the withdrawal, but that\u2019s the game plan right now.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. currently has more than 5,000 American forces in Iraq, under an agreement between the two countries. The U.S. pulled its troops out of Iraq in 2011 when combat operations there ended, but they went back in after ISIS began to take over large swaths of the country in 2014. The number of American forces in Iraq has remained small due to political sensitivities in the country, after years of what some Iraqis consider U.S. occupation during the war that began in 2003. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Esper said he will talk with other allies at a NATO meeting in the coming week to discuss the way ahead for the counter-ISIS mission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked if U.S. special operations forces will conduct unilateral military operations into Syria to go after ISIS, Esper said that is an option that will be discussed with allies over time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said one of his top concerns is what the next phase of the counter-ISIS missions looks like, \u201cbut we have to work through those details.\u201d He said that if U.S. forces do go in, they would be protected by American aircraft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While he acknowledged reports of intermittent fighting despite the cease-fire agreement, he said that overall it \u201cgenerally seems to be holding. We see a stability of the lines, if you will, on the ground.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also said that, so far, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/2019\/10\/14\/the-end-of-an-era-60000-strong-us-trained-sdf-partner-force-crumbles-in-a-week-under-heavy-turkish-assault\/\" target=\"_blank\">the Syrian Democratic Forces<\/a> that partnered with the U.S. to fight ISIS have maintained control of the prisons in Syria where they are still present. The Turks, he said, have indicated they have control of the ISIS prisons in their areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI can\u2019t assess whether that\u2019s true or not without having people on the ground,\u201d said Esper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He added that the U.S. withdrawal will be deliberate and safe, and it will take \u201cweeks not days.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/2019\/10\/16\/what-it-means-for-us-bases-in-syria-to-be-occupied-by-syrian-and-russian-forces\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1166774862.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">What it means for American bases in Syria to be occupied by Syrian and Russian forces<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">As U.S. forces make a grab for the exit in a hurry, reports and video coming in suggest U.S. troops are dumping equipment and leaving bases in tact while stripping sensitive items.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to a U.S. official, about a couple hundred troops have left Syria so far. The U.S. forces have been largely consolidated in one location in the west and a few locations in the east. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations, said the U.S. military is not closely monitoring the effectiveness of the cease-fire, but is aware of sporadic fighting and violations of the agreement. The official said it will still take a couple of weeks to get forces out of Syria. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also Sunday, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a group of American lawmakers on a visit to Jordan to discuss \u201cthe deepening crisis\u201d in Syria. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jordan\u2019s state news agency Petra said that King Abdullah II, in a meeting with the Americans, stressed the importance of safeguarding Syria\u2019s territorial integrity and guarantees for the \u201csafe and voluntary\u201d return of refugees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>This story has been corrected to reflect that the U.S.-Turkey agreement was reached on Thursday, not Friday.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While President Donald Trump insists he\u2019s bringing home Americans from \u201cendless wars\u201d in the Mideast, his Pentagon chief says all U.S. troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq and the American military will continue operations against the Islamic State group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":52447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":10,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[10,29,116,117,15,86],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1418],"class_list":["post-46112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-left-column","category-middle-column","category-news","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"MBTUJSGJW5ADZJDIORQRU5PTCM","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/20\/pentagon-chief-says-american-troops-leaving-syria-for-western-iraq\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Pentagon chief says American troops leaving Syria will conduct anti-ISIS operations from Iraq - Military Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While President Donald Trump insists he\u2019s bringing home Americans from \u201cendless wars\u201d in the Mideast, his Pentagon chief says all U.S. troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq and the American military will continue operations against the Islamic State group.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pentagon chief says American troops leaving Syria will conduct anti-ISIS operations from Iraq\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While President Donald Trump insists he\u2019s bringing home Americans from \u201cendless wars\u201d in the Mideast, his Pentagon chief says all U.S. troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq and the American military will continue operations against the Islamic State group.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/20\/pentagon-chief-says-american-troops-leaving-syria-for-western-iraq\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Military Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-10-20T14:14:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T02:05:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lolita C. Baldor, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lolita C. 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