BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:45 A.M.) – The battle against the Islamic State in the Euphrates River Valley region might be nearing its end, but the U.S. military still remains deployed across the territories controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in eastern Syria.
Despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration of victory against the Islamic State, the American troops in Syria still maintain an imperative presence near the Syrian government’s front-lines in the Deir Ezzor Governorate.
There is a good reason for the U.S.’ deployment in this area: the Iranian forces are present along the western bank of the Euphrates River, with a large concentration military personnel between Al-Salihiyah to the north and Albukamal to the south.
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Speaking from the capital city of Damascus, a Syrian military source told Al-Masdar this morning that only a few hundred meters separate the U.S. Armed Forces and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In addition to the presence of IRGC personnel, it is also believed that Iranian-backed groups like Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iraq’s Hashd Al-Sha’abi forces are also active in this region; however, it is difficult to confirm because they operate separately of the Syrian military.
The IRGC, on the other hand, has made it known that they are present in eastern Syria, especially with the recent footage of their forces hacking a U.S. drone.
With Iran’s heavy presence in the Euphrates River Valley region, the U.S. will likely keep their forces along the eastern bank, where they can keep a close eye on the IRGC.
