Top U.S. general makes unannounced visit to Syria, reviews mission

The top U.S. military officer made an unannounced visit to a U.S. base in Syria on Saturday to assess a nearly eight-year-old mission there to combat the Islamic State group and to review safeguards for U.S. troops against attack.

Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters traveling with him that he believed U.S. troops and their Kurdish-led Syrian partners were making progress at ensuring a lasting defeat of IS.

Asked if he believed the Syria mission was worth the risk, Milley tied it to the security of the United States and its allies, saying: "If you think that that's important, then the answer is 'Yes.'"

(Reuters)