U.S. sends additional troops to Syria to ease withdrawal

The US news channel reported on Thursday, January 24, that the military had deployed “a security force of armed troops – possibly infantry” to the country in order to “provide security for troops and equipment as they are moved out by land and air as well provide additional security on the ground as the number of US forces dwindles.”

The officials did not say how many or where the troops were being deployed. US forces are believed to be present in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria and in Al Tanf in the southeast.

Officials told CNN that “the additional security forces may move around Syria to different locations as needed and may move in and out of the country at times.”

The report added that the officials “would not indicate if any troop withdrawals have taken place or will happen in the immediate future, citing security concerns.”

Earlier this month, US military sources said that they had withdrawn some non-essential equipment, but had not withdrawn any troops yet.

Security is a renewed concern for US forces after an Islamic State (IS) suicide bomber killed two US soldiers and two US civilians in Manbij and the militant group targeted a US-SDF checkpoint in Hasakah in the past two weeks.

Reporter’s code: 50101