Trump speaks with Macron by phone over Syria

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump held a phone conversation on Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron, discussing the situation in Syria.

"The two leaders discussed the situation in Syria, including the commitment of the United States and France to the destruction of ISIS (IS) as well as plans for a strong, deliberate and coordinated withdrawal of US troops from Syria," according to White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.

On Dec 19 last year, the White House said it has started pulling US troops out of Syria after claiming victory in the fight there against the terrorist Islamic State (IS) group.

Despite repeatedly claiming the troop withdrawal decision unchanged, the United States seemed to try to make an adjustment on the plan.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that "we don't talk about timelines" on military forces withdrawing from Syria.

Trump also said earlier the same day that US troops would withdraw from Syria "at a proper pace," while at the same time continuing the fight against the IS terrorists.

Currently, there are about 2,000 US troops deployed in Syria.