US commandos heading into Syria
A small number of U.S. special operations forces will be deployed to northern Syria to work with local ground forces in the fight against Islamic State militants, senior U.S. officials said Friday, marking the first time American troops will be working openly on the ground in the war-torn country.
U.S. officials said President Barack Obama ordered the deployment of fewer than 50 commandos to help coalition forces coordinate with the local troops.
Although the number is small, it marks an escalation of U.S. involvement in the fight against the Islamic State, which controls a large part of northern Syria and has its self-proclaimed capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa.
