Islamic State -- U.S. Defense department mission to keep it from further advances / strategic terrorism

UPDATE: August 21 according to NY TIMES / world/

middleeast/

U.S. kills Islamic State operative in rare Syria raid

killing a senior Islamic State financier. 8/21/2025

_______________________________________________

2,000 troops from U.S. Army are on site in Syria to support the

core official deployed forces participating

in the Pentagon's mission of keeping

Islamic State's armed forces from reconstituting

nytimes.com/2024/12/19/us/politics/us-troops-syria.html

20 Jan. 2025

UPDATE: Following new POTUS swearing-in

new head of Defense Department is

Robert G. Salesses,

formerly deputy director of

Washington HQ Service,

a mid-level Pentagon official.

He accepted the job of acting

Defense secretary when no

Biden official would take it 

from Jan. 20 forward.