The US military will keep 200 troops in Syria to serve as a peacekeeping force after it pulls out most of its soldiers, the White House says.
President Donald Trump has come under fierce criticism for his decision last December to withdraw 2,000 troops.
He said the Islamic State group (IS) had been “defeated”, but critics warn the group has not disappeared entirely.
The latest announcement comes as the battle to turf IS out of the last pocket it holds in Syria continues.
US-backed fighters belonging to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance are making fresh attempts to evacuate civilians from Baghuz, a village in eastern Syria on the Iraqi border.
An estimated 300 IS fighters are thought to be holed up inside a tiny pocket of land.
Why now?
President Trump's announcement of a rapid withdrawal in late December took US allies and his own military and defence advisers by surprise back in late December. It prompted concerns that Turkey could attack Kurdish forces, who have been working with the US to battle IS in Syria.
US officials said American forces were initially given 30 days to leave Syria, but Mr Trump later said the withdrawal would be slowed down.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said: “A small peacekeeping group of about 200 will remain in Syria for a period of time.”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who was a vocal opponent of the withdrawal decision, praised Mr Trump's…
