Pentagon chief Mark Esper announced that the United States will maintain about 600 troops in Syria despite the withdrawal announced by Donald Trump last October. Esper clarified that these troops will be stationed in northeastern Syria, following Trump’s orders of securing oil fields, but they do not include the 200 troops deployed to the Al-Tanf base located in the southeastern borders with Jordan and Iraq. The Pentagon chief also made an indirect call to European countries to strengthen their presence in the country. “If they join us on the ground it may allow us the ability to redeploy further US forces out there”, he declared.