Department of Defense Spokesperson pat rider A Thursday press conference said there were 2,000 troops in Syria, compared to the 900 troops reported a few months ago.
rider said An additional 1,100 troops will be“Temporary rotational force,” he said, claiming he did not know that information until that point. news will come later The overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by the Islamic fundamentalist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) comes as various rebel groups, including those with U.S. military backing, vie for control. plunged into uncertainty.
“I can't give you a specific date, but my understanding is that it was clearly some time before the fall of the Assad regime,” Ryder said at a press conference. (Related: Exclusive: Biden Pentagon sues after blocking records request for 'radical' general nominations)
Ryder said all deployed forces were assigned to the mission to defeat ISIS, and that the 900 troops initially reported were long-term deployments.
🚨 Biden Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder says he has “recently learned” that more than 2,000 U.S. troops are actually deployed in Syria, far more than the 900 previously announced. . pic.twitter.com/MKlqO2ZlqS
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 19, 2024
The United States operates military bases in Syria to counter ISIS, most often working with the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Although ISIS has significantly reduced its presence in the region since the height of its power, recent tensions between the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and the SDF have led to The capture of the 9,000 ISIS fighters it holds could be at risk.
In a Dec. 7 post on Truth Social, President Trump said there was not much to be gained from direct U.S. involvement in Syria, and that he hoped the U.S. would stay out of Syria. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Jordan on December 14 to lead negotiations between the US and HTS. According to Go to NPR.
The State Department announced Tuesday that the ceasefire between the SNA and SDF will be extended until the end of this week, but Turkey's Defense Ministry said Thursday that there have been no talks between the two groups regarding a ceasefire agreement. According to to Reuters.
The Pentagon postponed the press conference and provided no additional comment to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers with large audiences. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or our partnership, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
