U.S. to keep 200 troops in Syria

The White House on Thursday said 200 U.S. soldiers will remain in Syria, dialing back President Donald Trump’s December announcement that he would withdraw all 2,000 troops from the country. “A small peacekeeping group of about 200 will remain in Syria for a period of time,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. The announcement followed a Thursday phone call between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in which the two leaders agreed to keep working on “the creation of a potential safe zone.”

Trump’s initial decision to withdraw U.S. troops drew criticism from Congress and contributed to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ decision to resign. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., welcomed the decision to retain some U.S. troops as part of an “international stabilizing force.” He noted the move would “achieve our national security objectives of continuing to contain Iran, ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS, protecting our Turkish allies, and securing the Turkish border with Syria.”