Top US commander for Mideast visits SDF in Syria

The top US military commander for the Middle East made a secret trip to northern Syria on Friday to meet a US-backed alliance fighting the Islamic State group, officials said.General Joseph Votel, who heads US Central Command (Centcom), met with leaders from the Syrian Democratic Forces.The trip, unannounced for security reasons, was first such visit under the new US administration, but the third in a series of meetings with the SDF.