According to reports, US troops are in Kobane in northern Syria, to train Kurdish forces to battle ISIS.
AFP was told that the American ‘instructors’ had arrived “in recent hours” in what is the first official deployment of U.S. ground troops in Syria.
Press TV reports:
BYPASS THE CENSORS
Sign up to get unfiltered news delivered straight to your inbox.
You can unsubscribe any time. By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use
The US has reportedly dispatched dozens of ground troops to Syria in a bid to shore up its ostensibly ineffective airstrikes against the Takfiri Daesh terrorists and assist Kurdish militants operating in Turkish-Syrian border regions.
A Thursday report by the Lebanese TV al-Mayadeen said the US servicemen entered Syria from Turkey through the Murshid Binar border crossing, adding that the troops numbered “50.”
The report said a number of US forces managed to reach the predominantly-Kurdish city of Ayn al-Arab, also known as Kobani, which is located in the northern province of Aleppo. It said others were dispatched to Qamishli, another Kurdish town in the northeastern province of Hasakah.
The presence of US troops on the ground in Syria is the first since Washington allegedly began targeting Daesh positions in the Arab country a few months ago. The air campaign, which also enjoys contribution from other countries in West and the in the Middle East, lacks any mandate from the central government in Damascus.
The White House said last month that several dozen special operations troops will be dispatched to Syria for the first open-ended mission by US ground forces there. Washington said the troops will only advise local forces fighting Daesh and will not be directly involved in combats.
Niamh Harris
Be the first to comment