Pentagon prepares plan to deploy ground troops in Syria
By
Bill Van Auken
17 February 2017
The Pentagon is preparing plans for sending hundreds, if not thousands more US ground troops into Syria under the pretext of accelerating the campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS) in both that country and neighboring Iraq.
A proposal for the escalation of the US intervention is expected by the end of this month, following a 30-day Pentagon review of its anti-ISIS campaign ordered by the Trump administration. Other options reportedly under consideration are an intensification of US airstrikes in Syria and a more aggressive arming and training of the YPG Kurdish militia that has served as a proxy ground force in the attack on ISIS-held areas of Syria.
A Pentagon official told CNN Wednesday that “It’s possible that you may see conventional forces hit the ground in Syria for some period of time.” According to military sources, US troops could first be sent to a staging area in Kuwait before being deployed into Syria.
The web site Military.com reported Wednesday that “multiple military sources” had confirmed that approximately 2,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team are being readied for deployment to the region.
NBC News, meanwhile, quoted Pentagon officials as saying that the initial force being proposed would consist of several hundred more troops, described as “enablers, force protection, and engineering advisers.” It went on to point out, however, that whatever number is decided, they would likely be augmented by other forces rotated in and out on a short-term basis.
At present there are more than 500 special operations troops operating in northern Syria, coordinating air strikes and acting as “trainers and advisers” for the…