The United States has significantly increased its military presence in Syria, more than doubling the number of American troops to around 2,000, according to Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrik Ryder. This decision is part of efforts to intensify operations against the terrorist group ISIS.
The additional forces have been in Syria for several months, Ryder confirmed, though he only recently became aware of the updated troop count. He emphasized that the increase is not related to the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or a rise in ISIS attacks.
Ryder also cited “diplomatic considerations” as the reason for the secrecy surrounding this deployment and assured that no further troop increases are planned for the foreseeable future. However, he noted that changes could still occur, especially considering President Donald Trump’s previous statements against expanding U.S. military involvement in Syria.
The reinforcement is temporary, with most of the additional troops being regular forces and special operations units from the U.S. Army. Prior to this update, the Pentagon had reported that about 900 U.S. troops were stationed in Syria.
