US Doubled Its Amount of Troops in Syria Before Assad's Fall: Pentagon

What's New

The United States doubled its number of troops in Syria before deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime collapsed, the Pentagon said Thursday.

Why It Matters

The first American ground troops entered Syria in late 2015 to fight the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. The U.S. previously said there were 900 troops in Syria.

The Pentagon had been repeatedly asked in recent weeks about the U.S. presence in Syria and never disclosed the sharp increase of troops in the Middle Eastern country.

U.S. officials insisted there had been no change in the number of U.S. troops in Syria until Thursday, despite questions rising as to whether the new instability there has put the U.S. mission in jeopardy.

What To Know

Major General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Thursday that 2,000 U.S. troops were in Syria.

Ryder said the additional troops had been in Syria "at a minimum months—it's been going on for awhile," but that the increase in forces was temporary.

In this October 25, 2019, photo released by the U.S. Army Reserve, U.S. airmen check military equipment to be loaded onto a cargo plane in northern Syria at the Kobani Landing Zone. The U.S. doubled... U.S. Army Reserve photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Hammock via AP

The additional troops, made up mostly of U.S. Army conventional and special operations forces, are in Syria to augment the U.S. operations against ISIS, according to Ryder.

Assad's Regime Collapses

Rebel fighters poured into the Syrian capital Damascus earlier this month, bringing an end to the 24-year reign of Assad and his Baath Party, which had ruled the country since a 1963 coup.

Assad fled to Moscow where he and his family were granted asylum on humanitarian grounds, according to Russian media.

A new government has yet to replace Assad's fallen regime.

Israel and Turkey Launch Military Ops In Syria

Since rebel fighters overthrew Assad's government, Israel and Turkey have launched military operations in Syria.

Israel bombarded Syria with airstrikes last week, hitting "most of the strategic weapons stockpiles" in the country, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), who said its goal was to stop these weapons from falling into the hands of extremists.

Meanwhile, Turkey has been fighting against Syria's Kurdish minority, a longtime enemy, which included launching airstrikes on a Kurdish convoy it said was carrying heavy weapons stolen from government arsenals.

U.S. Steps Up Airstrikes Against ISIS

The U.S. has also significantly increased airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria over concern that the militant group would reconstitute itself while Syria is in limbo.

What Are People Saying

President-elect Donald Trump said after the rebel fighters took over Damascus that the U.S. "should have nothing to do with" the conflict.

He wrote on his social media site Truth Social on December 7, "Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!"

What Happens Next

It's unclear if Trump will pull troops from Syria once he takes office next month, but he did try to withdraw forces from the country during his first term.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.