THERE IS NO SYRIA:

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says he expects there will be a larger U.S. civilian presence in Syria soon since the fight against the Islamic State (IS) extremist group is nearing a conclusion.

Mattis said in Washington on December 29 that U.S. diplomats and contractors are likely to return to the war-torn Middle East country as the focus turns to reconstruction and security.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in a new year's greeting that Russia will continue supporting Syria's efforts to defend its sovereignty, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

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