U.S. Special Representative for Syria James Jeffrey says Turkey was determined to launch an offensive against Kurds in northern Syria regardless of the presence of U.S. troops in the area. He told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a hearing Tuesday that some U.S. troops are still in Syria working with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and that the administration is working on making a temporary ceasefire permanent. U.S. Lawmakers expressed concern about Iran, Russia and Syrian government forces moving in to fill the void left by the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
