The U.S. recently confirmed that its Armed Forces currently have at least 2,000 personnel deployed in Syrian territory. The information arises after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, a situation that put the U.S. presence in Syrian territory in focus and how it could influence the short/medium term given the fragile context in the Middle East.
In a recent press conference, Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder was in charge of confirming the number of U.S. Armed Forces personnel in Syria. Strikingly, the spokesperson stated that “…As you know, we have been regularly informing you that there are approximately 900 U.S. troops deployed in Syria. In view of the situation in Syria and the significant interest, we recently found out that those figures were higher, so we asked for it to be investigated. Today I learned that, in fact, there are approximately 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria….”
This unusual way of confirming the number of U.S. personnel in Syria is, at least, striking. However, Ryder clarified that “…these additional forces are considered temporary rotational forces deployed to meet the changing mission requirements, while the 900 main deployed forces are on longer-term deployments….”
The Pentagon spokesperson added that “…as you know, for many of our deployments, the figures fluctuate from time to time. But since this figure is significantly higher than what we have been reporting, I wanted to inform you as soon as I learned this information….”
Ryder also emphasized that “…these forces, which reinforce the Mission to Defeat ISIS (Islamic State), were there before the fall of Assad’s regime….”
Regarding the fluctuation of U.S. Armed Forces personnel in Syria, the spokesperson also mentioned that “…there are diplomatic and operational security considerations with our deployments and some of those figures, and this is undoubtedly the case here. But again, since there is significant interest in Syria, given what we have previously reported, I wanted to make sure you had the most updated information….”
The U.S. has maintained the presence of ground forces in Syria for several years, a deployment that initially responded to the fight against the Islamic State. Some of the best-known combat posts are located in Al-Tanf and in the Deir ez-Zor province, bases from which armored vehicles, conventional troops, and special operations elements operate.
The presence of U.S. troops in Syria is focused on defeating ISIS, “…and thus preventing a resurgence of ISIS…” Riley confirmed during the conference, assuring that the deployment will be maintained over time.
Illustrative cover image. Credits: US Army – Spc. Tyler Becker
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