The US has agreed to send forty special forces soldiers into northwestern Syria to help Turkish forces there in their fight against Islamic State (ISIS) militants. US officials cited by the Wall Street Journal say they expect the troops to be in Syria in the coming days. They will operate primarily as combat advisors in much the same way other US special forces deployed with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria do. The deployment comes after US President Barack Obama approved the plan this week. It also comes as the US has agreed to work with Russia to bring about a ceasefire in that war-torn country. Turkey intervened in northwestern Syria last August 24, forcing ISIS to retreat from the border city of Jarablus. They are in Syria along with allied Syrian militiamen. Reports of the deployment of US special forces on Friday coincide with reports that US special forces soldiers were driven out of the Syrian town of Cobanbey, near the Al-Rai border crossing between Turkey and Syria, by the Turkish-backed Syrian militiamen, who threatened to “slaughter” them in a video purporting to show the incident on social media. A senior rebel source told Reuters on Friday that the small number of US forces, estimated to be no more than five or six men, entered the town as part of their efforts to coordinate airstrikes against ISIS. They then have to leave very quickly when the Syrian militiamen protested their presence there. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights conflict monitor also reported that these troops remain on Syrian territory after withdrawing from Al-Rai.
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