The U.S. Army general, along with other senior U.S. generals, met with several prominent figures of the SDF at an airbase in northeast Syria and held a press conference with a small group of reporters, Daily Sabah reprted.

In the meeting, Mazlum Kobani, who is the commander-in-chief of the U.S.-backed SDF, called for about 1,000 to 1,500 international forces to remain in Syria to help fight the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group and expressed hope that the United States, in particular, would halt plans for a total pullout. His plea comes at a time when Ankara has been signaling a cross-border operation in northern Syria against the Kurdish forces on its southern border.

"We would like to have air cover, air support and a force on the ground to coordinate with us," Kobani said, listing the SDF's requests from the U.S.

He reportedly said there were discussions about perhaps French and British troops supporting the SDF in Syria, but he stressed he also wanted at least "a partial group of American forces," who now number more than 2,000 in Syria, to stay as well.

U.S. Army General Votel, however, said he was still carrying out President Donald Trump's December order for a complete U.S. withdrawal, signaling that American troops staying in the country is not on the table.

"We certainly understand what they would like us to do, but of course that's not the path we're on at this particular point," Votel told reporters.

Asked about any discussions on a continuing U.S. presence in Syria, Votel said: "So the discussion really isn't about U.S. forces staying here. We've looked at potentially what coalition (forces) might be able to do here."

In December, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw its troops from Syria, saying that the IS is defeated. Trump's abrupt decision, nevertheless, has raised a range of criticism suggesting that IS continues to be a threat, and it is a betrayal for their ally on the ground, the YPG.

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