Feb 26, 2020

The Donald Trump administration is not considering reengaging militarily in the Syrian civil war amid stepped-up fighting in Idlib province, Defense Secretary Mark Esper told lawmakers today.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s efforts to reconsolidate the area that the State Department says has led more than a million people to take off for the Turkish border has led to American and United Nations calls for a cease-fire.

But Esper, who oversaw the removal of US troops from northern Syria in October amid a Turkish incursion into Kurdish-held areas, said the limited American mission of 600 troops remains focused on defeating the remnants of the Islamic State.

“There has not been that discussion about reengaging in the civil war,” the Pentagon chief said under questioning from Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Trump ally, at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday. “At this point in time, I don’t see any likelihood that we would be back along the border.”

“Obviously the situation has become a lot more complicated in Idlib province right now given the confluence of many actors,” Esper added. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that the United States was “working” with Turkey to deal with the tensions, but did not provide specifics.