US troops to leave Syria for Iraq, Pentagon
WASHINGTON 20 Oct (ANA) - All US troops withdrawing from northern Syria are expected to be relocated to western Iraq, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper confirmed.
Mr Esper told reporters that, under current plans, about 1,000 soldiers would be redeployed to help stop the resurgence of Islamic State (IS).
President Donald Trump has previously pledged to bring US troops home.
Meanwhile, a Kurdish-led force said it had withdrawn all its fighters from the besieged town of Ras al-Ain on Sunday.
Correspondents said it appeared to be the start of a wider withdrawal under a US-brokered temporary ceasefire agreement.
The US withdrawal from northern Syria paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against Kurdish fighters - which has now been paused to give the Kurds time to withdraw from the frontier.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had previously accused Turkey of not allowing its fighters and wounded civilians to leave Ras al-Ain despite the ceasefire.
Ankara views one of the prominent militias in the SDF as terrorists, and wants to create a "safe zone" buffer inside Syria.
Both sides have accused each other of breaching the truce. On Sunday Turkey said one of its soldiers was killed and another wounded in a Kurdish attack near the Syrian town of Tal Abyad.(ANA)
FA/ANA/20 October 2019----