The U.S. has had more than double the reported 900 troops in Syria for a number of months, but the Pentagon said Thursday they played no role in the downfall of dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Assad was overthrown Dec. 8 after Islamist forces entered the capital of Damascus, ending his family's 50-year rule. Israel and Turkey have since launched separate military operations inside Syria, with Israel reportedly striking Assad's former weapons facilities and Turkey attacking Kurdish forces, many of whom have partnered with the U.S. in its fight against ISIS.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters during a briefing that a "core 900" U.S. service members are in the country as part of an official nine-to-12-month deployment to counter any remnants of ISIS, The Hill reported. He said another 1,100 troops are there on a temporary basis for 30 to 90 days "to address shifting mission requirements," adding that U.S. Army conventional and special operations troops make up most of the extra forces.
Ryder said the increase in forces has "been going on for a while," estimating that the troops have been there "at a minimum, months," according to The Hill. But he stressed the extra troops are only supporting the counter-ISIS mission.
Asked why the Pentagon did not reveal the updated numbers until now, Ryder said he only learned of the new figure earlier Thursday and cited "sensitivity from a diplomatic and operational security standpoint."
He also said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was aware of the increased forces but had not spoken about it with Army Gen. Michael Kurilla, who oversees U.S. Central Command. Asked whether President Joe Biden was aware of the extra forces, Ryder said he would not speak for the White House.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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