Some US troops may remain in northern Syria to guard oil fields

WARNING: This report contains some images viewers may find distressing.

The United States says it may now leave some troops in north-east Syria, not for the benefit of its former allies, the Kurds, but to protect the oilfields there.

President Trump’s abrupt decision to pull US forces out of the area effectively paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against Kurdish forces.

But now his Defence Secretary has said some troops may stay behind to guard oil fields from a resurgent Islamic State, which the President has repeatedly claimed to have defeated.