The U.S. military plans to consolidate its presence in Syria in the coming weeks and months, potentially cutting its troop numbers in the country by half, 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 the Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria but was later pushed back.
U.S. forces in Syria conduct counterterrorism missions and help maintain regional stability.
Though troop numbers have decreased over the years, U.S. military personnel continue to play a key role in intelligence sharing, training, and advising partner forces.
“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.
