<span style="color: #222222;">Mark Esper has said that under the current plan, all American troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq. He said, the US military will continue to conduct operations against the Islamic State terror group to prevent its resurgence.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' The Defence Secretary's comments were the first to specifically layout where American troops will go as they leave Syria. Esper said he has spoken to his Iraqi counterpart about the plan to shift the more than 700 troops leaving Syria into western Iraq.<br />''<br />''Meanwhile, Esper did not rule out the idea that US forces would conduct counterterrorism missions from Iraq into Syria. But he said those details will be worked out over time.</span>