The White House is expected to announce plans on Friday to send a small number of U.S. special operations forces into northern Syria, according to a senior U.S. official.
A few dozen troops will be working in the fight against the Islamic State alongside other allied groups in the region, including Kurdish forces, NBC News reported.
The move is considered a “shift” but not a “change” in U.S. strategy against the Islamic State, the official said.
In recent months, the Obama administration has come under fire for stalling on anti-terrorism operations in Syria, including the Pentagon’s recent decision to vacate a program that provided assistance to the Syrian rebels. And when one U.S. soldier was confirmed killed after a battle against the Islamic State, it led to a debate over whether the spec ops troops being sent to the region are really “non-combat” troops, or whether they’re actually in combat.
Despite the president’s reassurances that troops in that region will not play an active role in combat, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told the Senate Armed Services Committee this week that the Pentagon has plans to increase attacks against the Islamic State, including through “direct action on the ground” in Iraq and Syria.
The U.S. has stationed 3,000 troops in Iraq to train and advise Iraqi forces.
