White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said this would be for peacekeeping purposes. She said: “A small peacekeeping group of about 200 will remain in Syria for a period of time.” In December, President Donald Trump ordered a withdrawal of the 2,000 US soldiers in Syria, after the defeat of ISIS in the region.
However, he was urged to leave some forces to help protect Kurds, who supported the fight against the terrorist group, now under threat from Turkey.
Therefore, 10 percent of the US military in Syria will remain after the withdrawal.
The decision was announced after Trump spoke to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the phone.
A White House statement said that the two leaders agreed to “continue coordinating on the creation of a potential safe zone” regarding Syria.
Ms Sanders added that Secretary of Defence Patrick Shanahan and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Joseph Dunford would be hosting their Turkish counterparts in Washington this week for further talks.
A senior administration official said Trump’s decision had been in the works for some time.
It is unclear how long the troops will be expected to remain in the area or where exactly they will be deployed.
However, this action could pave the way for allies in Europe to help set up the safezone in northeastern Syria.
The senior administration official said: “This is a clear direction to our allies and coalition members that we will be on the ground in some capacity.”
The remaining forces could also help quell concerns that leaving Syria completely would allow ISIS to gather strength again.
In December, the President announced: “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the trump presidency.”
The Kurds, armed and supported by the US, have fought the majority of the battle in Syria.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian/Syriac forces has lost more than 1,500 men in the four-year fight to defeat the extremists.
Last year, as the fighting against ISIS slowed, Turkey sent forces to oust Kurdish militants from an enclave in northwestern Syria.
The US, torn between their relationship with Turkey and the Kurds, refused to intervene, leading the latter to claim they were “more mistress than bride”.