The US Department of Defence has neither confirmed nor denied that it has begun reducing the US military presence in Syria.

“The Department of Defence redeploys forces on a regular basis based on operational requirements and contingencies. These movements demonstrate the flexibility of the US defence strategy globally and the US ability to deploy forces at short notice to respond to evolving security threats,” a Pentagon spokesman said in response to a request from TASS to comment on information about the beginning of the withdrawal of US forces stationed at a military base near the Koniko gas field in Deir ez-Zor province.

The Pentagon spokesman emphasised that he could not add anything on this matter for reasons of “operational security.”