US military mission in Syria to pose early dilemma for Trump - media

The future of the US military mission in Syria will present an early challenge for President-elect Donald Trump as he returns to office in January 2025.

The collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime has created uncertainty around the 2,000 US troops stationed in eastern Syria, tasked with fighting ISIS and monitoring Iranian activities, Caliber.Az reports citing foreign media.

This situation comes as the Middle East undergoes dramatic changes, especially following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which led to intense conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon and escalated tensions between Iran and Israel.

Despite Trump’s earlier stance of reducing US military involvement abroad, including his threats to withdraw troops from Syria, his plans for the mission remain unclear. However, he has indicated that combating the Islamic State (ISIS) will remain a priority, even though the group no longer controls vast territories and has regrouped in Syria’s southern desert.

James Jeffrey, former US envoy to Syria during Trump’s first term, raised concerns about the role of US forces, noting that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a Sunni Islamist group that has since ousted Assad, had previously fought ISIS successfully. This raises the question for Trump: “Why do I have to keep … troops on to fight ISIS, when essentially all of our fighting is mainly bombing them in the desert?” Jeffrey said. “And it’s going to be very hard to answer that question.”

Rep. Michael Waltz, a Florida congressman and retired Special Forces officer, emphasized that Trump would aim to minimize foreign entanglements but still prioritize preventing ISIS from reemerging, calling it a "number one priority."

Meanwhile, both the Trump and Biden administrations are cautious about HTS, which, despite promising stability, remains a US-designated terrorist group. HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has called for militia demobilization but has not clarified whether he wants US forces to remain in Syria.

US officials, aware of the high stakes, have been evaluating how Syria’s future fits into broader regional upheavals, particularly as Iranian-backed militias target US forces. These attacks have intensified, resulting in casualties, including the deaths of three US soldiers in January.

By Vafa Guliyeva