Pentagon admits more troops in Syria than previous reports

According to Stars & Stripes, the Pentagon admits that there are about 2,000 pairs of boots on the ground – about 4 times more US troops in Syria than the previous administration admitted;

In Syria, under Obama administration accounting practices known as Force Management Levels, the Pentagon only acknowledged 503 troops in Syria, though officials privately admitted there were significantly more forces there.

[Army Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman] also said Wednesday that the United States has about 5,200 troops in Iraq, essentially the same force size as the Pentagon acknowledged under Obama.

The Pentagon declined to say why it took three months longer to disclose more accurate troop counts for Iraq and Syria than Afghanistan. Manning said the delay was in an effort to “get it right.”

I guess the Obama Administration was more concerned about cosmetic appearances in the media than they were about truthiness.

Earlier this week, the Pentagon announced a withdrawal of 400 Marines from the theater, along with their artillery assets, however, we’re assured that most of the forces in the region will remain to enforce the newly-won security from ISIS who are still fighting from inside their caves and ravines in Syria;

ISIS has lost about 97 percent of the land it once controlled across Syria and Iraq, Manning said Wednesday, but small pockets of fighters remain in both countries.

“Important work remains to ensure lasting defeat” of ISIS, he said. “We will be in Syria as long as it takes to make sure that ISIS is not afforded the ability to reestablish safe havens and plan and conduct attacks.”

Operations in both countries are shifting as the terrorist group shrinks, said Eric Pahon, another Pentagon spokesman. U.S. advisers are primarily focused on operations to remove thousands of improvised explosive devices and other threats left behind by the terrorists so locals can safely return to their homes.

Imagine the outrage, though, if it was discovered that the Trump Administration lied about troop strength any where in the world.

Category: Terror War