US forces in Syria are focused on fighting the remnants of the Islamic State group and are not guarding oil fields as previously ordered by ex-president Donald Trump, a US defense official said Monday.
Since a US firm contracted last year with the Kurds in northern Syria to help exploit northeastern Syria oil reserves, US troops are not involved, said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
The 900 US military personnel and contractors in the region “are not authorized to provide assistance to any other private company, including its employees or agents, seeking to develop oil resources in Syria,” said Kirby.
