US military has not fixed a specific date to withdraw its forces from Syria, General Joseph Votel, head of the US Central Command said.
“We don’t withdraw in a manner that increases the risk to our forces. There is no pressure on me to meet a specific date at this particular time,” Votel said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday.
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that they would launch a final assault on the IS-held enclave of Baghouz in eastern Syria after all civilians have been evacuated, according to media reports.
Votel revealed that the IS militants evacuated from the remaining IS-held territories were largely “unrepentant, unbroken and radicalised,” adding that the IS made a calculated decision “to preserve the safety of their families and preservation of their capabilities… and waiting for the right time to resurge.”
Declaring victory over the IS, US President Donald Trump announced in December the withdrawal of US troops from Syria, leading to the resignation of then Secretary of Defense James Mattis and wide opposition from home and abroad.(UNI)
