WASHINGTON DC – President Barack Obama
announced on Monday that the US is boosting its troop presence in Syria
five-fold, to 250 military personnel.
"I've
decided to increase US support for local forces fighting ISIL (Islamic
State) in Syria," Obama said in a speech in the German city of Hannover.
"They're
not going to be leading the fight on the ground, but they will be
essential in providing the training and assisting local forces that
continue to drive ISIL back," he said.
This, he said, will help keep up "momentum" in the fight against the group, which is also known as ISIS.
Fifty
US special forces soldiers are already deployed in Syria's northeast,
where they are advising and training the Kurdish-majority Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF) that are combating ISIS.
"We've
seen across parts of northern and eastern Syria progress as ISIL has
been pushed out of some strongholds," the US Deputy National Security
Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters in Hannover, according to Reuters.
"We
want to accelerate that progress and we believe the commitment of
additional US special forces can play a critical role," he added.
Obama
is presently visiting Germany for talks with the country's Chancellor
Angela Merkel. On Monday leaders from Britain, France and Italy will
join them to discuss the ongoing war effort against ISIS.
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