US Admits Shocking Truth: 2,000 Troops in Syria, More Than Double the Official Count

According to a Defense Department official at a press briefing on Thursday, the Pentagon stated the US presently has “approximately 2,000” troops in Syria, more than twice as many as the 900 previously revealed.

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder stated that all 2,000 troops are in Syria to combat ISIS, adding, “There are diplomatic and operational security considerations oftentimes with our deployments and some of those numbers, and [that is] certainly the case here.”

Further Explanation

According to Ryder’s explanation on Thursday, “the core 900 deployers are on longer term deployments, while these additional forces are considered temporary rotational forces that deploy to meet shifting mission requirements.”

According to a State Department official, a US team is in Syria on Friday for the first high-level American visit since President Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow in order to interact with the country’s interim government.

The team is in the capital city of Damascus and includes NEA Senior Adviser Daniel Rubinstein, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, and Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf.

This delegation, headed by Rubinstein, is anticipated to visit Syria in the next few days, CNN reported Thursday. Rubinstein “will lead the Department’s diplomatic engagement on Syria,” the State Department spokeswoman added.

According to the spokesperson, the team is to meet in Aqaba, Jordan, with leaders of the de facto Syrian government, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), “to discuss transition principles endorsed by the United States and regional partners.”

Following a summit this weekend in the city on the coast of Jordan, those principles were presented. They center on topics like as protecting human rights, preventing the revival of terrorist organizations like ISIS, and eliminating chemical weapons.

Adding to the conflict’s complexity, Turkey has threatened to dismantle the SDF, which is composed of fighters from the Peoples’ Protection Units (YPG), which Turkey views as a terrorist organization, even though the US still refers to the group as “an important partner.”