Obama announces 250 special operations forces to Syria
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US President Barack Obama on Monday authorized the deployment of 250 additional US troops to Syria. (Reuters file photo)
US President Barack Obama has announced the biggest expansion of American ground troops in Syria since 2011, under the pretext of fighting against terrorism, despite previously ruling out sending more forces to the Arab nation.
According to Press TV, speaking in Hannover, Germany, on Monday, Obama announced an additional 250 US Special Operations Forces (SOF) troops will be sent to the war-torn country in the coming weeks.
"Just as I approved additional support for Iraqi forces against ISIL, I've decided to increase US support for local forces fighting ISIL in Syria, a small number of special operations forces are already on the ground in Syria and their expertise has been critical as local forces have driven ISIL out of key areas," Obama said.
The US president was referring to Daesh terrorists, who were initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government. They now control large parts of Iraq and Syria.
The United States has already deployed dozens of special forces to eastern Syria in what it claims is an effort to shore up local militant groups against Daesh. The new deployment would bring to 300 the total number of American troops in Syria.
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