US Troops Need to Stay in Syria to Counter ISIS, Austin Says

US Troops Need to Stay in Syria to Counter ISIS, Austin Says
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a joint news conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, at the Foreign Ministry's Iikura guesthouse in Tokyo on July 28, 2024. Hiro Komae/AP Photo
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RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany—The United States needs to keep troops deployed in Syria to prevent the ISIS terrorist group group from reconstituting as a major threat following the ouster of Bashar Assad’s government, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told The Associated Press.

American forces are still needed there, particularly to ensure the security of detention camps holding tens of thousands of former ISIS terrorists and family members, Austin said Wednesday in one of his final interviews before he leaves office.