Top military officials insisted today that US troops departing northern Syria have the ability to defend themselves as Turkish forces continued to probe deeper into the war-torn country on the sixth day of an offensive allowed by President Donald Trump.

Calling the safety of US troops the Pentagon’s top priority, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said the 1,000 American troops are capable of handling themselves on the complex battlefield that Russia and pro-Bashar al-Assad forces appeared set to enter after cutting a deal with US-backed Kurds.

“We’re watching, we’re reacting,” McConville said in response to a question from Al-Monitor at the Army’s annual conference. “What the force is doing on the ground, and they’re very, very capable forces is they’re reacting to the changing situation on the ground.”

US troops have the ability to respond to Turkey and Turkish proxies “only if they are fired upon,” an administration official told Al-Monitor today. The official said Sunday that the US military’s lines of communication and resupply may become more difficult to maintain as the battlefield gets more complex in the coming days.