President Trump has made a decision on whether to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria, and is expected to announce that decision shortly, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said Wednesday.
The decision, which Coats did not disclose, about the nearly four-year-old war against the Islamic State group was made during a meeting at the White House, Coats told reporters at a breakfast meeting.
“I can’t get into the details of what was decided yesterday with our national security team and with the president,” he said. “But there will be a released statement shortly relative to the decision that was made on that topic.”
A reporter asked Coats to clarify whether he meant the administration made a determination on the possible pullout of about 2,000 U.S. troops in the war-torn country and Coats said, “Yes.”
Trump raised the possibility of a pullout from Syria during a press conference Tuesday and said he was very close to a decision. The statements occurred before he met that afternoon with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his national security advisers.
“I want to get out. I want to bring our troops back home,” Trump said.
About 3,000 ISIS fighters are estimated to remain in Syria and Trump’s military commanders and officials in the region were calling for an enduring U.S. presence at an event Tuesday in D.C., even as the president was making his statements at the White House.
“A lot of very good military progress made over the last couple years,” said U.S. Central Commander Gen. Joseph Votel. “But again, the hard part I think is in front of us, and that is stabilizing these areas, consolidating our gains, getting people back into their homes, addressing the long-term issues of reconstruction and other things that will have to be done.”
