TEHRAN (FNA)- The US Army has deployed armored vehicles and dispatched soldiers to the Raqqa to confront massive protests by the city residents, media reports said.

The residents of Raqqa City held large-scale protests against the presence of the US Army troops and their allied militants in the region, the Arabic-language service of the Russian Sputnik news agency reported.

It noted that the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is now in a state of alert in a bid to be ready to disperse the people who are staging protests.

Meantime, SDF’s security commander Hafal Shifo was gunned down by unknown assailants in the Youth residential area of Raqqa City while two of his aides were also seriously injured.

Shifo was a notorious commander responsible for arresting and torturing thousands of civilians in Raqqa City, specially in the recent popular unrests West of Raqqa City.

In a relevant development last week, the US Army dispatched another military convoy of modern military equipment to its allied militants in Raqqa and Aleppo provinces.

“New military equipment comprising weapons, ammunition, armored vehicles and logistical supports arrived in Syria from Iraq through Simalka passage,” XBER 24 news website reported.

The website further said that the military equipment was headed for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Ain Issa in Northern Raqqa and Kabani in Northern Aleppo.

It went on to say that the US military convoy arrived only several hours after Washington said that it will keep between 200-400 troops in Syria.

Meantime, a high-ranking US military official also declared that 200 US troops will be kept in areas under their control in al-Tanf and 200 others in a safe region in Northeastern Syria.

In a relevant development last week, the Reuters News Agency quoted an anonymous US administration official as saying that the US will keep around 200 troops at the al-Tanf base and around 200 more soldiers in Northeastern Syria for peacekeeping.

The 400 American troops will be part of a total force of 800-1,500 Western soldiers in Syria, with the rest provided by Washington’s European allies.

The official also noted that both the US and its European allies are still engaged in talks on the creation and participation in maintaining a safe zone in Northeastern Syria.

Washington claims its military deployment, which is not mandated by the UN Security Council and is also opposed by the Syrian government, was necessary to fight the terror group Daesh.

The Al-Tanf base is a constant subject of complaints by Russia, which accused the US military of turning a blind eye on militant groups using the territory under their control to regroup and launch attacks against Syrian government troops. Moscow also said the Rakban refugee camp, which is located near Al-Tanf, serves as a recruiting ground for militants.

US President Donald Trump announced the pull-out from Syria in December 2018, promising to bring around 3,000 American soldiers home. The reason for the move, according to him, was the defeat of the Daesh terrorist group in the Arab Republic.

The US appears to be continuing to move the goalpost from the initial promise, made by the American leader, of full withdrawal of ground troops from Syria. Last month he declared Daesh defeated, but the actual removal of the US troops has been repeatedly postponed. This week the White House said some of its troops will remain in Syria, inaccurately calling them “peacekeepers” – a status reserved for troops acting on a UN mandate.

Earlier, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders announced that a small “peacekeeping group” of about 200 soldiers will stay in Syria “for [a] period of time” after the US military withdrawal from the Arab state.

Trump told reporters last month that the move does not constitute a reversal on his promise to fully withdraw from Syria, which he called “sand and death” last December. However, 400 troops is still one fifth of the 2,000 American troops currently serving in Syria.