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Pentagon reveals presence of 2,000 US troops in Syria, after years of saying 900

December 22, 2024 at 9:20 am

US troops patrol in their military vehicles near the Syrian border on 17 December 2020 [DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images]

The United States’ Pentagon has revealed that there are approximately 2,000 American troops in Syria, more than double the number Washington has claimed are in the country over the years.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder stated that the “we have been briefing you regularly that there are approximately 900 US troops deployed to Syria. In light of the situation in Syria and the significant interest, we recently learned that those numbers were higher”.

Noting that he was asked to investigate into the matter, Ryder said “I learned today that, in fact, there are approximately 2,000 US troops in Syria”. Although he did not specify the exact dates of their arrival in the country, he said those additional 1,100 soldiers have been deployed in Syria “for a while” and for months “at a minimum”, at least before the overthrow of former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and his regime on 8 December.

Since 2014, the US has maintained its military presence in Syria for the stated purpose of combating the terror group Daesh – otherwise known as ISIS – and despite that group’s defeat in 2019, Washington has consistently warned of the threat of its re-emergence as a justification for the continued deployment of American troops and their support for Kurdish militias in north-eastern Syria.

For now, the Pentagon reportedly does not plan on changing its military presence in the country, with Ryder stating that “there are no plans to cease the ‘defeat ISIS’ mission. I mean, again, ISIS continues to maintain or to pose a significant threat”.

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