US ‘optimistic’ France, Britain will join stay-behind Syria force
The United States is ‘very optimistic’ that France and Britain will participate in a residual force that US President Donald Trump wants to leave in Syria, his national security advisor said Sunday.
‘Certainly, in conversations this past week with my British and French counterparts, I’m very optimistic that they’re going to participate,’ John Bolton said in an interview with ABC’s This Week. ‘It hasn’t happened formally yet, but they’re looking at it,’ he said, adding that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joe Dunford, is working to set up the force.
Bolton insisted there was no contradiction between Trump’s assertion that the caliphate declared by the Islamic State group has been eliminated 100%, and the assessment of the top US commander in the Middle East, who told Congress last week the fight is ‘far from over.’
‘The president has been, I think, as clear as clear can be when he talks about the defeat of the ISIS territorial caliphate,’ Bolton said. ‘He has never said that the elimination of the territorial caliphate means the end of ISIS in total. We know that’s not the case.’
‘But one reason that the president has committed to keeping an American presence in Iraq and a small part of an observer force in Syria is against the possibility that there would be a real resurgence of ISIS, and we would then have the ability to deal with that if that arose.’
Trump abruptly announced in December the immediate and complete withdrawal of the 2,000 US troops deployed in north-eastern Syria, declaring victory against IS, or ISIS as it is also known. Then, under pressure from Congress and the Pentagon, he agreed to leave a residual force of some 200 US troops, which he wants to be reinforced by allies in the anti-IS coalition.
An objective of the international force is to guarantee the security of its Syrian Kurd allies. Turkey, a NATO member, views the Kurdish combatants as terrorists, and the Europeans fear they would be vulnerable if Ankara launched an offensive.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain]()
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.
-
![Global tensions drive defence supply chain scrutiny]()
Global tensions drive defence supply chain scrutiny
Governments worldwide are scrambling to decouple defence supply chains from dependency upon strategic rivals, but countries could struggle to do it all themselves.
-
![How deepening AI usage can boost efficiency and maximise effects for forces]()
How deepening AI usage can boost efficiency and maximise effects for forces
Saab has outlined how it is using artificial intelligence to make training more like electronic gaming, while the UK’s Power Size Technologies is applying the same technology to better evaluate and design vehicle capability, moving AI-enabled innovation further upstream from the frontline.
-
![From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)]()
From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)
Philipp von Brandenstein, Head of Corporate Communications at Rheinmetall, explains how Eurosatory 2026 marked a new stage in the company's evolution.
-
![US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system]()
US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system
The US Department of Defense has requested new contracting authorities from Congress, using the Army's MV-75 Cheyenne programme to demonstrate how competition, digital engineering and closer industry collaboration could accelerate acquisitions.
