Both the White House and the Pentagon are under scrutiny after conflicting reports revealed a significant discrepancy in the official count of U.S. troops stationed in Syria. The figure, previously reported as 900, has been revised to 2,000, leaving unanswered questions about how such a miscalculation went unnoticed.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to provide clarity during a Friday press briefing, deferring to the Pentagon for an explanation. Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder similarly stated Thursday that he could not confirm whether the White House was aware of the true number of deployed personnel.
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“That is their purview,” Jean-Pierre said, referring to the Pentagon’s role in tracking troop deployments. “That is something that we have always been pretty consistent on.”
Ryder revealed that the updated figure includes 1,100 additional “temporary rotational forces” that had been deployed alongside the 900 long-term personnel officially counted. He stated the total has been at 2,000 since “before the fall of the Assad regime.”
Despite this clarification, it remains unclear whether President Joe Biden was aware of the discrepancy. The White House has yet to respond to requests for comment on the matter.
The U.S. maintains military bases in Syria to counter ISIS and support the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF, which detains 9,000 ISIS fighters, has warned that its operations could be jeopardized if the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) continues its offensive into SDF-controlled areas.
READ: Pentagon Acknowledges 2,000 Troops In Syria, Double Previous Reports
ISIS’ presence in the region was significantly diminished during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term, but concerns remain about its potential resurgence.
The revised troop numbers come amid heightened instability in Syria. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ousted on December 8 by the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamic fundamentalist organization.
U.S. forces currently focus on countering ISIS and aiding the SDF amid concerns that Assad’s fall could create a power vacuum.
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President-elect Trump has indicated a potential shift in U.S. involvement in Syria. On December 7, Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. has little to gain from engagement in Syria and expressed a desire to reduce military commitments in the region.
The discrepancy over troop numbers raises broader questions about the coordination between the White House and the Pentagon on military operations. As the Biden administration transitions power to Trump, U.S. strategy in Syria remains uncertain, with potential implications for both the region’s stability and America’s counterterrorism efforts.
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