Small Wars Journal

Obama to Announce Plans to Grow U.S. Special Operations Force in Syria

Sun, 04/24/2016 - 8:38pm

Obama to Announce Plans to Grow US Special Operations Force in Syria by Missy Ryan, Karen DeYoung and Greg Jaffe, Washington Post

President Obama will announce the addition of 250 Special Operations troops to the American advisory force in Syria, U.S. officials said Sunday, the Obama administration’s latest move seeking to intensify pressure on the Islamic State.

A senior administration official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss measures that have not yet been announced, said that Obama will make his decision public on Monday, during remarks at a technology fair in Germany.

“The president has authorized a series of steps to increase support for our partners in the region, including Iraqi security forces as well as local Syrian forces who are taking the fight to ISIL,” the official said. ISIL is another name for the Islamic State, the militant group that controls a wide swath of both countries...

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