WASHINGTON 5 Apr (ANA) - US officials say President Trump has been persuaded not to pull the military out of Syria immediately, despite his declaration last week that the US would "be coming out of Syria very soon".

 

Advisers reportedly convinced him that it could risk a resurgence by the Islamic State (IS) group.

 

The White House said on Wednesday the US military mission in Syria was coming to a "rapid end".

 

But it has not announced a timetable for a full troop withdrawal.

 

A statement said IS was almost completely destroyed, and that the US would consult its allies regarding future plans.

 

A senior administration official told NBC News that the president had agreed at a meeting on Tuesday to keep troops in Syria for an undetermined period, but "wasn't thrilled about it, to say the least".

 

The US has about 2,000 personnel on the ground in eastern Syria supporting an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

 

With the help of US-led coalition air strikes, SDF fighters have captured tens of thousands of square kilometres of territory from IS over the past three years.(ANA)

FA/ANA/5 April 2018-------