Secretary of Defense Says Small Number of US Troops May Stay in Syria

Defense Secretary Mark Esper, center, walks Gen. Scott Miller, right, chief of the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan, at the U.S. military headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan on Oct. 20, 2019. AP Photo/Lolita C. Balbor

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper suggested a small number of United States forces may stay in Syria after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. military withdrawal from the war-torn country.

Esper said a small force is currently in Syria to prevent terrorists from gaining access to oil.