US troops need to stay in Syria to counter the Islamic State group, Austin says [Video]

FILE – U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a joint news conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, at the Foreign Ministry’s Iikura guesthouse in Tokyo, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File) (Hiro Komae, Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE – The U.S. needs to keep troops deployed in Syria to prevent the Islamic State group from reconstituting as a major threat following the ouster of Bashar Assad’s government, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told The Associated Press.

American forces are still needed there, particularly to ensure the security of detention camps holding tens of thousands of former IS fighters and family members, Austin said Wednesday in one of his final interviews before he leaves office.

According to estimates, there are as many as 8,000-10,000 IS fighters in the camps, and at least 2,000 of them are considered to be very dangerous.

If Syria is left …