Pentagon says the number of US troops in Syria is much higher than previously reported
The Pentagon says there are 2,000 U.S. troops deployed in Syria, more than double what officials with the Department of Defense have been telling reporters for months.
"We have been briefing you regularly that there are approximately 900 U.S. troops deployed to Syria," Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Ryder told reporters during a press briefing on Thursday. "In light of the situation in Syria, and in significant interest, we’ve recently learned that those numbers were higher."
Ryder asked to look into the numbers and said he learned on Thursday that there are about 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria.
"It was explained to me these additional forces are considered temporary rotational forces that deploy to meet shifting mission requirements, whereas the core 900 deployers are on longer term deployments," he continued. "As you know, for many of our deployments, numbers will fluctuate from time to time, but given that this number is significantly higher than what we've been briefing, I wanted to let you know, as soon as I found out this information."
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The lead spokesman said there are diplomatic and operational security considerations with deployments and the numbers of troops associated with those deployments, as was the case with Syria.
Ryder noted that the troops were in Syria before the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad – who fled to Russia earlier this month and ended a nearly 14-year struggle to maintain power in his country – and help augment the defeat of ISIS mission.
After learning of the fluctuation in number of troops, Fox News’ Pentagon correspondent Jennifer Griffin pressed Ryder about the correction to the number of troops and timing.
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"This is more than double the number of troops that we’ve been told for quite some time. So, are we talking about this has been going on for months? For Years?" Griffin asked. "Is this something that just happened this summer? We need a time frame."
"Yeah, I think it would probably be fair to say at a minimum, months," Ryder said. "I’ll go back and look. But it’s…yeah, it’s been going on for a while."
The news of additional troops in Syria comes as interest in the region is exceptionally high, especially after the fall of Assad.
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Attacks by the Turkish military on Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have increased since the Syrian president fled to Russia on Dec. 8. In an interview with Fox News this month, Gen. Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the SDF, warned that if his Kurdish fighters have to flee, ISIS would return.
He also said half of his fighters guarding the ISIS camps had to withdraw.
"All of the prisons still are under our control. However, the prisons and camps are in a critical situation because who is guarding them? They are leaving and having to protect their families," Gen. Mazloum said. "I can give you one example like the Raqqa ISIS prison, which contains about 1,000 ISIS ex-fighters. The number of guards there have diminished by half which is putting them in a fragile position."
Fox News previously reported that the U.S. had 900 troops in Eastern Syria, but now that number is about 2,000, and they would likely have to withdraw if the allied Kurdish fighters retreat under attack from Turkey’s military, which views the Kurds as a terrorist threat.