While Kirby says the US mission in Syria is about fighting ISIS, the presence is part of the US effort against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian government opposes the occupation of the eastern portion of Syria, which allows the US to control most of Syria’s oil resources. On top of the occupation, the US maintains crippling economic sanctions on Syria.

The US occupation always risks sparking a wider war, as demonstrated by the recent airstrikes. The escalation started on Thursday when a US base in eastern Syria came under a drone attack that killed a US contractor and wounded five US troops.

Americans Now Dying in Syria to Protect Syrian Oil Fields the U.S. Military Seized – Vaccine Impact

US invaded plus occupied Syria illegally, killed civilians and is now stealing Syrian oil. All of it is illegal and constitutes war crimes, but no one is charged, and the news never mentions any of this.