Obama approves deployment of up to an additional 250 US forces in Syria
HANOVER - US President Barack Obama announced on Monday the biggest expansion of US ground troops in Syria since the civil war there began, saying he would dispatch 250 special forces soldiers to help local militia to build on successes against Islamic State.
The new deployment increases US forces in Syria six-fold to about 300. While the total US ground force is still small by comparison to other American deployments, defense experts said it could help shift the momentum in Syria by giving more Syrian fighters on the ground access to US close air support.
Obama said the move followed victories that clawed back territory from Islamic State.
"They're not going to be leading the fight on the ground, but they will be essential in providing the training and assisting local forces as they continue to drive ISIL back," Obama said, using an acronym for Islamic State, also known as ISIS or Daesh.
