Esper: US troops, armored vehicles going to Syria oil fields

Pentagon chief Mark Esper said Friday that United States will leave more American troops and armored vehicles in eastern Syria to help prevent Islamic State militants from gaining access to oil fields controlled by U.S.-allied Syrian Kurds. That deployment will likely include tanks, a U.S. official said.

defense secretary confirmed that U.S. will send in an armored force to region, but he did t provide details or number of troops.

His comments at a news conference at NATO hequarters in Brussels reflected one more change in what has been a rapidly shifting U.S. stance on American forces in Syria.

Just last week, President Donald Trump insisted that all 1,000 American forces in Syria would leave war-torn country. n he ackwledged that a couple hundred would stay at al Tanf garrison in south.

In tweets Friday, Trump said “Oil is secured. Our soldiers have left and are leaving Syria for or places, n.... COMING HOME! ... When se pundit fools who have called Middle East wrong for 20 years ask what we are getting out of deal, I simply say, OIL, AND WE ARE BRINGING OUR SOLDIERS BACK HOME, ISIS SECURED!”

But Esper said at NATO that U.S. is “considering how we might reposition forces in area in order to ensure we secure oil field.” He ded: “We are reinforcing that position. It will include some mechanized forces.”

U.S. official who send deployment probably would include tanks offered more details. This official was t authorized to discuss internal discussions about military planning and spoke on condition of anymity.

He said U.S. wants to ensure that Islamic State militants do t get access to oil, which could give insurgent group to obtain resources to rebuild.

Trump in past days has turned a greater focus on Syrian oil facilities in eastern part of country, saying U.S. will stay in Syria to protect m.

According to officials, top military leers have pushed for U.S. to leave forces in Syria to guard against an IS resurgence. While group’s physical zone of control was largely destroyed by U.S. and Syrian Kurdish forces, insurgents remain in small pockets throughout country and in Iraq.

Russian and Turkish leers have w divided up security roles in rast Syria following America’s abrupt troop withdrawal from Turkey-Syrian border region. American move triggered widespre criticism that Trump ministration h abandoned Syrian Kurdish fighters who fought alongside U.S. against IS for several years.

Trump spurred a fresh wave of condemnation when he tweeted Thursday that he h spoken with Syrian Kurdish military chief Mazloum Abdi and said that perhaps “it is time for Kurds to start heing to Oil Region.” That was an apparent reference to oil fields in Deir el-Zour. U.S. military commanders see that region as critical to holding off an IS resurgence re.

“We’ve secured oil, and, refore, a small number of U.S. troops will remain in area where y have oil,” Trump said. “And we’re going to be protecting it, and we’ll be deciding what we’re going to do with it in future.”

White House officials did t respond to requests for greater clarity about Trump’s tweet suggesting Kurds he to oil region.

Pentagon released a statement Thursday saying it was committed to sending ditional military forces to eastern Syria to “reinforce” control of oil fields and prevent m from “falling back to into hands of ISIS or or destabilizing actors.”