The administration of incumbent US President Joe Biden has no plans to expand US military presence in Syria after Syria’s armed opposition came to power in the country, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said on Friday.
“Our presence in Syria remains in the eastern part of the country. We partner with the SDF [Syrian Democratic Forces] … In terms of US presence and force posture no changes. The incoming administration can speak for any decisions that they will make. But in terms of this administration, no changes to force posture in Syria or Iraq,” Singh told reporters.
The longstanding mission of US forces in Syria is to defeat the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia), Singh also said, adding that it remains unchanged. There are no plans to set up a military base or any other permanent facility in the Kurdish-majority Kobani region in Syria, she also said.
Syria’s armed opposition captured Damascus on December 8. Syrian President Bashar Assad stepped down after negotiations with participants in the Syrian conflict and left Syria for Russia, where he was granted asylum. Mohammed al-Bashir, who ran an Idlib-based administration formed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other opposition groups, was named interim prime minister on December 10. He announced that an interim government had been formed and would remain in place until March 2025.
