NORTH-EAST SYRIA – After making an unannounced visit to a base in northern Syria to meet with U.S. forces, the top U.S. military commander said Saturday that the U.S. military has been on the ground nearly eight years since it was sent to Syria to fight ISIS. Deployment said it was still worth the risk – East.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, flew to Syria to assess prevention efforts. Resurrection of extremist groups Review US military security measures against attacks involving drones.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, is a shadow of the group that controlled more than a third of Syria and Iraq in a caliphate declared in 2014, but hundreds of fighters still remain in devastated regions. A US-led coalition has also set up camp, and the Syrian army is exercising complete control, with support from militias backed by Russia and Iran.
Thousands of other ISIS fighters are in detention facilities guarded by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, a key US ally in Syria.
US officials say ISIS may still resurface as a major threat.
Asked by a reporter accompanying him if he thought the mission in Syria was worth the risk, Milley linked the mission to the security of the United States and its allies, saying: “”
“I happen to think that’s important,” General Millie said.
“So I think defeating ISIS permanently and continuing to support our friends and allies in the region is an important task that can be done.”
Missions come with risks.
Last month, four US soldiers were injured in a helicopter attack in which an ISIS leader caused an explosion.
Last month, the U.S. military shot down an Iranian-made drone that was attempting to conduct reconnaissance at a patrol base in northeastern Syria.
Three drones targeted a US military base in Syria’s al-Tanf region in January. The US military said two of the drones were shot down and the remaining drones hit the compound, injuring two members of the Syrian Free Army.
US officials believe Iran-backed militias are directing the attack.
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/syria-mission-worth-risk-top-us-general-says-after-surprise-visit Syrian mission is worth the risk, top US general says after surprise visit