Why Are US Troops Still Fighting In Syria? Emerging Pattern Suggests Change In Strategy

The U.S.-led coalition fighting the ISIS in Syria launched a massive operation against the rebels Friday, leading to an unspecified number of casualties, in a clear sign that the country was very much in the game. So what was President Trump's announcement of a troop withdrawal about?

Trump's announcemnt on Oct. 6 left a key ally in the war on terror vulnerable to aggression. Close on the heels of a U.S. withdrawal, Turkish forces carried out missions against Kurdish fighters who were instrumental in checking the ISIS in northern Syria.

The U.S. troops never really left the area. They were just shuffled around the perimeter of the theater of action. After a brief break that provided the troops time to rest and recuperate, the United States has stepped up its fight against the ISIS.

“The coalition special operations branch remains committed to our relentless pursuit of Daesh (ISIS),” Major General Eric Hill, Commander of the Special Operations Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve, was quoted by the Air Force Times.

A pattern emerges through the developments. The President is removing active-duty members of the standard military and cycling in more members of special operations teams to continue carrying out missions against ISIS.

A source on the ground in Syria told International Business Times: “While ISIS does not have control of the country any longer, there are enough remaining followers that a clear and present danger still exists to the area, and beyond. The only way that we will finish the mission here is to neutralize them all.”

This message was confirmed by Kenneth Mackenzie, the head of the U.S. Central Command, when he told reporters Saturday that there will be an uptick in operations against the ISIS. He said there is no foreseeable end date for the U.S. military involvement in Syria.

Initial incursions into Syria by Turkey sparked a backlash from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in the U.S. Capitol during October and November. It appeared as though the U.S. had turned its back on an ally. There has been no revelation from the executive as to why that was allowed to occur, but the U.S. forces that are still in the area have regrouped with Kurdish fighters to carry out their mission.