U.S. may keep some troops in Syria to protect oilfields from ISIS

A U.S. soldier in Syria.
(Image credit: Delil Souleiman/AFP/Getty Images)

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Monday that some U.S. troops may remain in eastern Syria to ensure that Islamic State fighters do not take over oil fields.

Earlier this month, President Trump announced he was pulling most U.S. troops out of northeastern Syria, paving the way for Turkey to cross the border and attempt to push back Kurdish forces. As American allies, the Kurds led the fight against ISIS in Syria, losing thousands of fighters in the process.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.