Biden Admin Admits It Hasn’t Been Telling the Truth About the Real Number of US Troops in Syria
The Pentagon has revealed that the number of U.S.troops stationed in Syria is approximately 2,000, substantially higher than the previously reported figure of 900. Major General pat Ryder explained that this uptick has been occurring for some time and is primarily aimed at preventing the resurgence of the Islamic State, rather than reacting to the recent collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.Ryder acknowledged he was unaware of the discrepancy in troop numbers until recently.the additional troops are considered temporary rotations and are meant to adapt to changing mission requirements, while the core group of 900 has longer deployments. Ther are no immediate plans to adjust troop levels, and a recent American diplomatic visit to Syria marked the first formal engagement as the U.S. closed its embassy in 2012.
As the fall of the Syrian government drew attention to the risks facing U.S. troops stationed there, Biden administration officials indicated that only 900 U.S. troops were based in the volatile nation.
It turns out that was not true.
Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder on Thursday revealed the actual number is around 2,000, according to The Hill.
The increase beyond the 900 troops the Pentagon claimed were in Syria has “been going on for a while,” he said, adding additional troops have been in Syria for “at a minimum, months.”
Ryder said that the increase was due to efforts to prevent the rise of the Islamic state, and not a reaction to the downfall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who was forced from power earlier this month by rebel forces.
Pentagon Reveals 2,000 US Troops Are in Syria – More than Double What Was Previously Reported https://t.co/1tClcyxb5h
— Military.com (@Militarydotcom) December 20, 2024
Ryder said he had been unaware the number he had been using was wrong.
“Look, again, learned the number today, provided the number today,” he said, according to The New York Times.
“Part of the explanation is the sensitivity from a diplomatic and operation security standpoint. But again, given the difference in what we’ve been briefing and what the actual number is, just felt that it was important to get you that information,” he said.
“It was explained to me these additional forces are considered temporary rotational forces that deploy to meet shifting mission requirements, whereas the core 900 deployers are on longer-term deployments,” he said, according to Fox News.
Ryder was asked whether President Joe Biden knew of the actual troop strength in Syria, but he declined to speak for the White House.
Asked whether Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin knew the correct number of American troops in Syria, Ryder said he was “confident that the secretary is tracking US forces deployed around the world,” according to CNN.
He said Austin had not spoken with Gen. Michael Kurilla, who oversees American troops in the region, about this issue.
Ryder also said he was not “tracking any adjustments” to the U.S. troop level.
The focus of American military efforts in Syria since the collapse of the Assad regime has been to strike Islamic State targets to prevent the group from gaining power.
On Friday, a team of American diplomats visited Damascus for talks with the new government, according to The Washington Post.
The visit marked the first formal American diplomatic mission to Syria’s capital since the U.S. shuttered its embassy in 2012.
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