The Pentagon will keep some U.S. forces in Syria indefinitely to continue ongoing counterterrorism operations, officials said this week.
"The United States will sustain a conditions-based military presence in Syria to combat the threat of terrorist-led uncertainty, prevent the resurgence of ISIS, and to stabilize liberated areas," said Army Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Manning announced the move Wednesday.
A "conditions-based" presence is an open-ended commitment, the Journal reports, and the Trump White House is using the same tact with U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
The decision comes as military action against the Islamic State formally ends — and Pentagon officials emphasized that no large, permanent bases would be maintained in Syria as in such nations as Germany and South Korea.
Troops will be assigned to smaller bases and outposts, the Journal reports.
The U.S. has about 2,000 troops in Syria, along with an unspecified number of contractors providing support services.
The Pentagon withdrew 400 Marines from Syria last month.
U.S. forces first entered the country in the fall of 2016.
According to the Journal, some troops will deploy temporarily from other regional bases for specific missions.
The number of forces remaining in Syria was not yet clear, the Pentagon said.
Officials have said that the forces will target parts of Syria that are not fully governed by regime or rebel forces, the Journal reports.
The military has the legal authority to remain there, the Pentagon said.
"Operating under recognized international authorities, the U.S. military will continue to support local partner forces in Syria to stabilize liberated territory," Manning said.
Those efforts include restoring basic essential services, removing explosive materials and aiding deliveries of humanitarian aid, the Journal reports.
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