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The Pentagon says there are 2,000 US troops stationed in Syria. That’s more than double what Defense Department officials have been telling reporters for months.
“We regularly inform you that approximately 900 U.S. troops are stationed in Syria,” Defense Department spokesman Gen. Ryder told reporters during a news conference on Thursday. “Considering the situation in Syria And there’s been a lot of interest. We’ve recently learned that those numbers are even higher.”
Ryder asked to verify the numbers and said he learned Thursday that there were about 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria.
“It was explained to me that these additional forces are considered temporary rotational forces deployed to meet changing mission requirements. Meanwhile, the main force of 900 is in a long-term deployment,” he continued. “As you know, For our multiple deployments The numbers fluctuate from time to time. But because this number is significantly higher than we’ve briefed, So I want to let you know. As soon as I found this information.”
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Pentagon press secretary Gen. Pat Rider told reporters that Number of US soldiers In Syria it was more than twice as many as previously reported. (Pentagon live feed)
The main spokesperson said There are diplomatic and operational security considerations regarding deployments and the number of troops involved in those deployments. The same is true in the case of Syria.
Ryder noted that troops were in Syria before the fall of President Bashar. Syria’s Al-Assad who fled to Russia earlier this month and ended a nearly 14-year struggle to maintain power in his country. And it adds to the defeat of ISIS’s mission.
After learning of the fluctuation in troop numbers, Fox News Defense Department correspondent Jennifer Griffin pressed Ryder about the revisions to troop numbers and timing.
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People waved guns in the air. As they gathered to celebrate the fall of the Syrian regime in Umayyad Square on December 1, 8 in Damascus, Syria. (Ali Haj Sulaiman/Getty Images)
“This is more than double the number of troops we have been told about for some time. Are we talking about something that has been going on for months? For many years?” Griffin asked. “Is this something that just happened this summer? We need a time frame.”
“Yes, I think it’s probably fair to say at least a month,” Ryder said, “I’ll go back and look, but…yeah, it’s been going on for a while.”
News of the increase in troops in Syria comes as interest in the region is particularly high. Especially after the fall of Assad.
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Damascus, Syria – 03 May: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the time. Seen during the signing of a comprehensive project on strategic and long-term cooperation between Iran and Syria on May 3, 2023, in Damascus, Syria. (Born News/Matin Ghasemi/Aksonline ATPImages/Getty Images)
Turkish military attacks on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have increased since the Syrian president fled to Russia on December 1. 8. In an interview with Fox News this month, Commander General Mazloum Abdi The SDF warned that if its Kurdish fighters were to flee, ISIS would return.
He also said that half of his fighters guarding ISIS camps had to withdraw.
“All prisons are still under our control. They are in a crisis situation because of who is taking care of them. They are leaving and must protect their families,” Gen. Mazlum said. “I can give you an example: Raqqa ISIS prison, which has about 1,000 former ISIS fighters, the number of guards there has been cut in half. This puts them in a vulnerable position.”
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Fox News previously reported that the United States has 900 troops in eastern Syria. But it now has about 2,000 soldiers, and it is likely they will have to withdraw if allied Kurdish fighters retreat under attack from the Turkish army. which views the Kurds as a terrorist threat
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