Certainly we are aware that he had expressed a desire and intent in the past to depart Iraq, depart Syria," Votel said during a Tuesday hearing held by the Senate Armed Services Committee. In December, Trump tweeted, "We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency," later releasing a video where he said US troops are "all coming back, and they're coming back now." He said ISIS still controls about 20 square miles of territory in Syria where the terror group still commands approximately 1,000 to 1,500 fighters. A Defense Department Inspector General report published Monday said that "absent sustained [counterterrorism] pressure, ISIS could likely resurge in Syria within six to twelve months and regain limited territory." Iraq mission unchangedVotel said that he has not been given "additional tasks" with regard to the US military mission in Iraq.

Source: CNN February 05, 2019 16:39 UTC