The number of US troops in Syria may be reduced to only 500 people, writes the New York Times.
According to sources of the publication, three of the eight US operational bases in the northeastern part of the country will be closed in the near future, and the number of military personnel will be reduced from approximately 2,000 to 1,400 people. A decision on further troop withdrawals will be made in about two months, which could leave about 500 troops in the country.
The US Department of Defense did not confirm or deny the information, but a spokesman said it was constantly redeploying forces based on operational needs and unforeseen circumstances.
Sky News Arabia said that the US command in Syria had begun withdrawing special forces from Deir ez-Zor province. According to the media outlet, a convoy of US troops had headed from a facility in the eastern part of the country to Iraqi Kurdistan, where a large US base is located.
At the same time, Russia's permanent representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzia told journalists that Russian troops would remain at their bases in Syria, and Moscow was in dialogue with the authorities in Damascus.
„Our army is where it was. "We are talking to the current Syrian government," he said in response to a question about the Russian military presence in the Arab country.