Special Christmas delivery for US troops in Syria

(24 Dec 2019) Hundreds of American troops based in Syria have received Christmas gifts thanks to Operation Holiday Express, launched by US-led coalition forces from across the border in neighbouring Iraq. Although Santa's sleigh and reindeer were swapped for a workhorse CH-47 Chinook helicopter, coalition forces still donned jolly red caps as they unloaded boxes of gifts at five locations in eastern Syria. The soldiers received stockings stuffed with candies, toiletries and other gifts - mostly donated by military support organisations in the US, as well as churches and charity organisations. In addition to the presents, Christmas tunes were provided by a military band from the 1st Infantry Division, flown in from Kansas. Officials said the aim of Operation Holiday Express was to bring a little Christmas cheer to those on active duty. The US at one point had some 2,000 service members in Syria, mostly taking part in battles against the Islamic State group. The number has dropped since the extremists' defeat in March, when they lost their last sliver of territory to Kurdish-led fighters backed by Washington. While President Donald Trump has said he will withdraw the bulk of the roughly 1,000 American troops from Syria, he’s made it clear he'll leave some military forces in the country to help secure the oil fields across eastern Syria from any IS resurgence. The commander of Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve said the presence of American soldiers on the ground in Syria showed the commitment of US forces, adding that they would pursue the remnants of IS anywhere in Syria. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/4afed870a76b4b70916dd5f5ffc71bb6