The US has doubled its troop presence in Syria.

(CLO) The US has doubled its troop presence in Syria to approximately 2,000 this year, according to the Pentagon.

This is part of a continuing effort to fight the Islamic State (IS) group, which has been largely defeated in Syria and Iraq thanks to the support of local forces and a US-led air campaign.

Previously, Washington consistently stated that it had approximately 900 troops in Syria participating in operations against ISIS. However, in a press briefing on December 19th, Major General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, confirmed that the current number of US troops in Syria has reached 2,000, and this number has remained at that level for at least several months.

Major General Pat Ryder. Photo: U.S. Air Force

Ryder said these additional forces were there to support anti-ISIS operations and were considered "temporary," not part of larger changes related to the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad's regime in early December this year.

The US has intensified airstrikes against ISIS targets, particularly after the rebels seized the capital Damascus on December 8th. According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the airstrikes were aimed at preventing ISIS from exploiting the chaos to reorganize in central Syria.

In addition, Israel and Turkey have conducted military operations in Syria, with Israeli airstrikes targeting weapons facilities of the former regime. Meanwhile, Turkey's campaign has targeted US-backed Kurdish forces.

Ngoc Anh (according to AFP, AJ)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/lau-nam-goc-my-da-tang-gap-doi-quan-so-o-syria-post326654.html