The United States will send armored vehicles and combat troops into eastern Syria to keep oil fields from potentially falling into the hands of Islamic State militants, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday. Sending an armored force to eastern Syria would partially reverse the ongoing shrinkage of the U.S. troop presence in Syria. The attacks damaged or knocked out oil tanker convoys, oil processing plants, storage facilities, pumping stations, pipelines and refineries. Esper said Islamic State, sometimes known by the acronym ISIS, must not be allowed to again threaten the oil. AdvertisementAccording to officials, top military leaders have pushed for the U.S. to leave forces in Syria to guard against an Islamic State resurgence.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 25, 2019 21:56 UTC