Pentagon says the extra forces have been in Syria for ‘some time’, earlier than fall of President Bashar al-Assad, although they weren’t publicly disclosed.
After years of telling the general public that america has about 900 troops in Syria, the Pentagon has revealed there are roughly 2,000 troopers there — double the earlier estimate.
Chatting with reporters on Thursday, Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder mentioned the extra US forces have been in Syria since earlier than the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad this month, although he didn’t specify a timeframe.
“We have now been briefing you frequently that there are roughly 900 US troops deployed to Syria. In gentle of the state of affairs in Syria and the numerous curiosity, we just lately realized that these numbers have been larger,” Ryder mentioned.
“So, requested to look into it, I realized right now that, actually, there are roughly 2,000 US troops in Syria.”
He added that there are 900 troopers on long-term deployment in Syria whereas the remaining are “thought-about non permanent rotational forces”.
In line with Ryder, the beforehand undeclared 1,100 troopers have been in Syria “for some time”. Pressed for additional particulars by reporters, the Pentagon spokesperson mentioned they’d been deployed there for months “at a minimal”.
The US began sending troops to Syria in 2014 with the said goal of defeating ISIL (ISIS), however US forces remained within the nation after the group’s territorial defeat in 2017.
Washington has allied itself with the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which now management massive components of jap Syria.
Nonetheless, Turkiye, a NATO companion of the US, views the SDF as a menace to its nationwide safety over hyperlinks to Kurdish armed organisations it labels as “terrorist” teams.
After opposition fighters captured western Syria and toppled al-Assad, they reignited preventing alongside the entrance strains in different components of Syria, the place the battle had been frozen for months.
Turkish-backed Syrian fighters and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which dominates the brand new authorities in Damascus, have captured areas beforehand held by the SDF over the previous two weeks.
The prospect of an all-out warfare between Syrian forces supported by Turkiye and the SDF has raised questions in regards to the future position of US troops in Syria.
On Thursday, Ryder mentioned there are not any deliberate modifications to the US navy presence within the nation.
“There are not any plans to stop the ‘defeat ISIS’ mission. I imply, once more, ISIS continues to take care of or to pose a major menace,” he mentioned.
Past its troops in jap Syria, the US has mentioned it’s participating immediately with the new authorities in Damascus, though it continues to formally label HTS as a “terrorist” group.
Washington has put ahead a set of calls for it mentioned it needs to see in Syria, together with non-sectarian governance.
“The transition course of and new authorities should additionally uphold clear commitments to completely respect the rights of minorities, facilitate the circulate of humanitarian help to all in want, stop Syria from getting used as a base for terrorism or posing a menace to its neighbors, and be certain that any chemical or organic weapons stockpiles are secured and safely destroyed,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned in a press release final week.
In the meantime, one of many US’s prime allies, Israel, has been bombing Syrian navy belongings and increasing its occupation past the Golan Heights in a land seize extensively condemned throughout the Center East.