US to Stay in Syria Without Legal Justification

US forces deployed in Syria will remain in the country after ISIS defeat to ensure the terror group does not reemerge and proceed with a political resolution of the conflict, Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Gen. Joseph Votel said in a congressional testimony on Tuesday.

"When we have completed our mission here in Syria, it involves not only kicking ISIS [Daesh] out of the areas which they occupied, but also includes consolidation of gains and the stability that allows us to move forward with a political resolution," Votel told the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.

Votel confirmed that the reason for the US military being in Syria is to defeat Daesh.

"The principal thing will be to ensure that ISIS [Daesh] does not reemerge."

The CENTCOM commander explained that moving forward, the US military will continue to support partners on the...