The Pentagon may be considering sending conventional ground forces to Syria to speed up the fight against the Islamic State, according to a report on Wednesday.
The possibility of sending an undetermined number of troops could be one of several options the Pentagon presents to the White House as part of the 30-day review of the anti-Islamic State strategy initiated by President Trump. Yet the CNN report stressed that the idea is “not fully baked yet.”
The full list of options is due to the White House by the end of the month.
“We are considering a number of measures to accelerate the campaign as part of that review, but no decisions have been made,” Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said. “The secretary is actively engaged with his combatant commanders and commanders on the ground to listen to their recommendations and to provide them with the resources and authorities they need to hasten the defeat of ISIS.”
Logistically, the plan would likely require troops and some additional ground weapons to move to Kuwait before traveling into Syria, CNN said.
About 250 U.S. special operators are serving in Syria, a move President Obama announced in April.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Scott Cooper Dayton was the first combat death in the country since the fight against the Islamic State began. He was killed in November by a roadside bomb.
