The United States has quietly more than doubled its troop presence in Syria to combat the Islamic State (ISIS) group, with the Pentagon revealing Thursday that approximately 2,000 US forces are now stationed there—up from the long-reported figure of 900, The Associated Press reports.
Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, disclosed the updated number during a press conference, noting that the increase had been in place “at a minimum months—it’s been going on for a while.”
He added that the rise in troop numbers was unrelated to the December 8 overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad or any recent changes in ISIS activity.
ISIS overran large swathes of Syria and neighboring Iraq in 2014, proclaiming a "caliphate" in land it controlled.
Several military offensives, including ones backed by a US-led international coalition, have since seen ISIS lose most areas it once controlled, including the loss of their de facto capital in Raqqa, Syria.
However, ISIS sleeper cells remain in the area and continue to carry out deadly attacks in Syria and Iraq. The US deploys troops in Syria as part of its effort to defeat ISIS in the region.
The international coalition led by the US has eliminated numerous ISIS terrorists in air strikes in Syria and Iraq in recent years, including the group’s leader in eastern Syria, who was eliminated in a strike in July of 2023.
For years, noted AP, US officials maintained that roughly 900 troops were operating in Syria. However, questions about the true size of the US presence arose following Assad’s ouster. Despite these inquiries, the Pentagon continued to cite the outdated figure until Ryder’s acknowledgment Thursday.
Speaking on the matter, Ryder attributed the secrecy to “diplomatic considerations” and “sensitivities,” without elaborating further.
Ryder clarified that the troop increase was intended to augment US operations against ISIS and described the deployment as “temporary.” However, he admitted that US forces have been rotating in and out of Syria for nearly a decade, with actual numbers exceeding 900 for much of the past year—or possibly two.