Top US general Mark Milley makes surprise visit to Syria
Gen. Mark Milley's visit to US troops fighting the Islamic State came as Pentagon officials warn Russia's arms transfers to Iran will embolden the IRGC and its proxies in the Middle East.
WASHINGTON — Top US general Mark Milley made a surprise visit on Saturday to Syria, where fewer than 1,000 American troops continue to support local militia forces combatting the remnants of the Islamic State (IS) group.
Milley, who serves as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and is ending his term in September, met with the commander of the US-led coalition to defeat IS, Army Maj. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, and reviewed security measures from an undisclosed base in Syria’s northeast.
Why it matters: The arrival of Washington’s top general to Syria signals the Biden administration’s seriousness about keeping troops in the country in support of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Nearly four years after the IS defeat on the battlefield, some 10,000 suspected fighters from the group remain in makeshift prisons under SDF control, with not even a hint of international political will to establish war crimes tribunals on the horizon.
