Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Syria to assess efforts to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State militant group and develop a set of precautions for units Americans, including in the event of an attack by Iranian drones.
Thousands of former Islamic State fighters are being held in territories controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a key US ally in Syria. However, it is believed that the Islamic State could once again become a serious threat: hundreds of militants still have camps in the country’s desert regions, where neither the US-led coalition nor the Russian-backed Syrian army and militant pro-Iranians, exercise total control.
In 2018, former President Donald Trump nearly ended the US military presence in the region, but troop withdrawal plans were later adjusted.
General Mark Milley, speaking to reporters accompanying him, said the deployment of some 900 US troops to Syria was worth it. Milley draws a direct link between their mission and the security of the United States and its allies: “If you think our security is important, then the answer is, ‘Yes, it (the mission in Syria) is important.'”
“I believe that the final defeat of the Islamic State and the continued support of our friends and allies in the region (…) are important tasks that can be accomplished,” the general added.
However, four US service members were injured in a helicopter raid last month. The US military also shot down an Iranian-made drone in Syria that was trying to conduct reconnaissance at a patrol base in northeast Syria. In January, three drones attacked a US base in Syria’s Al-Tanf region. Two drones were shot down, while a third injured two members of the Free Syrian Army.
US officials believe the drone attacks are orchestrated by an Iranian-backed group, a reminder of the complex geopolitical environment in Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad is backed by Iran and Russia and considers the American troops as occupiers.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, commander of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, called the attacks on U.S. troops “an attempt to distract us from our task main”.
Nevertheless, McFarlane noted progress in the fight against IS, as evidenced in particular by the reduction in the number of displaced people in refugee camps – a risk group where new IS fighters can be recruited.
MacFarlane noted that the time will come when U.S. partners in Syria can deal with residual threats on their own: “Over time, I suspect that…the conditions will be created for our partners to independently have a sustainable capability.” and its ability to rein in ISIS,” he said.
