According to the officials, the pause will be followed by an assessment of 'conditions on the ground', with further withdrawals occurring every six months or so until numbers fall to the 400 troop limit approved by Trump in February. This, NYT noted, means Trump may not get his 400 troop cap until fall 2020.
Officials also indicated that the withdrawal timetable remains 'fluid' and dependent on a range of factors, including everything from European allies' troop contributions to negotiations with Ankara regarding a possible so-called safe zone along the Turkish border separating the country from the US's Syrian Kurdish militia allies, which Turkish authorities classify as terrorists.
The New York Times' story comes two weeks following a similar report by the Wall Street Journal, which indicated that the US might keep as many as 1,000 troops stationed in Syria.
Reporter's code: 50101