WASHINGTON—Daesh (also known as ISIS) could stage a resurgence in Syria once the Pentagon withdraws its troops, the head of the U.S. Central Command told a Senate panel Tuesday in a bleak warning that U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertions of victory may be fleeting.

The commander, Gen. Joseph Votel, who oversees military operations in the Middle East, also told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Daesh militants still controlled around 50 square kilometres of territory in Syria. That is a steep drop from the group’s pinnacle of 88,000 square kilometres in 2014 and has been used by the president to bolster his case that U.S. troops and their allies have largely defeated the militant Sunni extremist group.

Trump has indicated that he is ready to declare victory in Syria, a war that was certain to be featured in his State of the Union address Tuesday night.

Votel’s comments came during a testy hearing in which a succession of senators from both parties questioned Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria. It was yet another instance of top national security leaders diverging from the president on the withdrawal, a decision that led to the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in December.

The remarks also came just a week after the release of an annual intelligence assessment of threats facing the United States that diverged sharply from Trump’s statements on a range of issues, including North Korea, Russia and Syria.

“It is important to understand that even though this territory has been reclaimed, the fight against ISIS (Daesh) and violent extremists is not over and our mission has not changed,” Votel said.

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He said that “hard-won battlefield gains can only be secured by maintaining a vigilant offensive against a now largely dispersed and disaggregated ISIS (Daesh) that retains leaders, fighters, facilitators, resources and the profane ideology that fuels their efforts.”

Votel is set to retire this spring, and will be replaced by Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie. For the first time, Votel publicly confirmed on Tuesday that the president’s announcement to withdraw troops from Syria was as much of a surprise to him as it was to the many men and women in the military who have fought Daesh militants alongside Kurdish and international allies since 2014.

“I was not consulted,” Votel said under questioning by Sen. Angus King of Maine, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats.

Within minutes, King’s office emailed a video of the exchange to reporters to highlight what was described as “military brass blindsided by Syria withdrawal announcement.”

Many Republicans in Congress also oppose the withdrawal plans. On Monday, the Senate approved legislation that opposes an abrupt withdrawal of troops from Syria and Afghanistan, warning that such a move could destabilize the region and lead to larger roles for both Russia and Iran. The legislation is largely symbolic.

Also on Monday, the Pentagon’s internal watchdog agency concluded in a report that Daesh militants were already regrouping in Iraq. The report, from the inspector general’s office, said that unless there was sustained pressure, Daesh militants “could likely resurge in Syria within six to 12 months and regain limited territory.”

The extremist group will also most likely try to portray the U.S. withdrawal as a victory, Pentagon officials have warned.

In his testimony, Votel also diverged from his commander in chief on the role of U.S. troops deployed to Iraq.

Trump, during an interview that aired Sunday on CBS’ Face the Nation, said he wanted U.S. troops to remain in Iraq to “watch Iran” — a sudden announcement that angered Iraqi leaders and surprised the Defense Department.

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U.S. military officials said they could not explain Trump’s claims that U.S. forces in Iraq could take a leading role in monitoring Iran’s nuclear program or other suspicious activities.

Asked by Sen. Martin Heinrich whether the U.S. military focus in Iraq had shifted from Daesh to Iran, Votel replied, “It has not, senator.”

He said that Central Command “remains very focused on the reason that the government of Iraq asked us to come there, and that is focusing on the defeat of ISIS (Daesh) and now preventing the resurgence of that particular organization.”

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