The U.S. government's aid chief, Mark Green, made an unannounced visit to Raqqa in Syria on Monday, the most senior U.S. civilian official from the Trump administration to visit the war-struck northern city months after it was retaken from Islamic State.
Green was accompanied by head of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. Joseph Votel, as the United States ramps up post-conflict stabilization in areas where Islamic State has been driven out by American-backed militia.
The visit comes after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson last week signaled an open-ended U.S. military presence in Syria, part of a broader strategy to prevent Islamic State's resurgence and pave the way for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step aside.