The U.S. is preparing to deploy about 150 troops to Syria, The New York Times reported Thursday. 

The troops will conduct ground patrols with Turkish forces and the deployment is part of a series of steps taken by the U.S to reduce tensions with Turkey, according to the Times. 

A defense official told CNN that the military was considering sending a small number of troops to Syria to help create a buffer zone at the Syria-Turkey border, but no decisions had been made. The official told the news network that if additional forces go to Syria, they will likely be redeployed to another place in the region. 

{mosads}”While we are working to implement the president’s direction to withdraw troops from Syria in a deliberate and coordinated manner, force levels will be dictated by conditions on the ground,” Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Sean Robertson told CNN. “For security reasons, we are not going to discuss numbers or timelines.” 

The U.S. currently has fewer than 1,000 troops in Syria who are working to combat what is left of ISIS, according to the Times. 

President Trump announced in December that he would remove all of the U.S. troops from Syria, resulting in the resignation of then-Defense Secretary James Mattis. He later said he would allow a small number them to remain for stability reasons.

The Times reported that tensions have escalated between the U.S. and Turkey due to U.S. support for Syrian Kurdish fighters. The fighters have helped to combat ISIS, but Turkey has designated them as terrorists. 

The Hill has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.