Ethan Goldrich, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and the official responsible for Syrian affairs at the U.S. Department of State has confirmed that there are no plans for the Biden administration to withdraw American troops from Syria.
Speaking to Al-Sharq Al-Awsat before his departure from the post, Goldrich emphasized, “Currently, our focus is on the goal of preventing the resurgence of ISIS.”
He added, “We remain committed to the role we play in that part of Syria and to our partnership with the local forces we work with to avert the risk of ISIS making a comeback.”
Regarding normalization with Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Goldrich stated that the United States will not normalize relations until there is “genuine and sustainable progress towards the objectives of Resolution 2254.”
He urged countries that have engaged with Assad to leverage these relationships to advance shared international goals under Resolution 2254.
Media outlets recently indicated that Iraqi factions launched a drone attack targeting an American base in Deir ez-Zor, Syria.
The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) responded by stating that it reserves the right to retaliate at a time and place of its choosing if its forces are attacked in Iraq or Syria.
In recent days, an American military base located at the Conoco gas field, east of Deir ez-Zor city, has been subjected to a missile attack. Sources reported that violent explosions were heard at the American base, and flames were seen as a fire broke out at the location.
A leader of the Iraqi resistance stated that the attack involved Grad rockets targeting American forces stationed at the Conoco gas field in Syria.
