US Troops Doubled in Syria Before Assad’s Overthrow, Pentagon Confirms

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder revealed that there were more than twice as many U.S. troops in Syria before President Bashar al-Assad's government was overthrown. This was a rare admission made during Thursday's briefing. The Pentagon had said before that 900 soldiers were stationed in Syria, mainly to fight the Islamic State group (ISIS).

"Today I learned that there are, in fact, about 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria," Ryder said, adding that the extra troops were sent on short-term missions lasting 30 to 90 days, as opposed to the longer nine- to twelve-month rotations of current staff.

Reporters' questions brought up a lot of unknowns about the operation, such as where these troops were stationed, when the surge would happen, and what its strategic goals were. Ryder said that tactical security and diplomatic concerns often affect how these deployments are made public.

There aren't many details yet, but Ryder did say that the troops are mainly from the U.S. Army and are still focused on fighting ISIS. He wouldn't name individual units or where they came from, though, because he was worried about security.

This news brings up important questions about the U.S. military policy in Syria and shows how complicated America's long-term involvement in the area is.

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