U.S. to Deploy 200 Special-Ops Fighters Against ISIS
The United States is sending a group of special operations troops to join the battle against the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, AFP reports.
U.S. defense secretary Ashton Carter said on Tuesday he was sending a “specialized expeditionary targeting force” to Iraq to work with Kurdish and Iraqi forces fighting ISIS.
“These special operators will over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence and capture ISIL (ISIS) leaders,” the Pentagon chief said.
“This force will also be in a position to conduct unilateral operations into Syria.”
While the Obama administration initially said it would not put “boots-on-the-ground” in the fight against the jihadist group, there is growing recognition within the Pentagon that an air campaign alone may not be sufficient and that a U.S. military presence on the ground is necessary.
Carter did not specify the number of additional troops set to be deployed, citing security concerns. An anonymous U.S. official told AFP that 200 special operations troops would be sent.
U.S. officials announced last month that 50 special operations forces would be sent to Syria to help anti-ISIS militants with logistics. In Iraq, the U.S. already has nearly 3,500 troops who are there to “train and advise” local forces.
Rebels to Withdraw from Homs: Government
Syrian officials said Tuesday they had reached a deal in which opposition fighters in the rebel-held area of Homs city would withdraw as part of a local cease-fire agreement.
Nearly 3,200 rebel fighters will leave the Waer neighborhood of Homs and head to other opposition-held areas in Syria, according to the Associated Press.
The deal, established by Syrian and U.N. officials and agreed to by several rebel groups, will also include a cease-fire and a return of state institutions to the area, in addition to a release of prisoners.
Homs, one of the first cities to join the uprising against Bashar al-Assad in 2011, quickly became known as the “capital of the revolution.” But government forces have since slowly retaken control of Syria’s third largest city, except for the Waer neighborhood.
The implementation of the deal, according to Homs governor Talal Barrazi, is set to begin early next week and is expected to take two months.
U.K. Lawmakers to Vote on Syria Airstrikes
The U.K. parliament will vote Wednesday on whether or not the country will join the international coalition carrying out airstrikes against ISIS.
Lawmakers, divided over the issue, are set to hold a 10-hour debate in the House of Commons, where prime minister David Cameron is expected to win the support he needs to approve the strikes, Time reports.
Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn is against military involvement in Syria, but has said his party members are free to vote as they please.
British forces already provide tactical and logistical support to the U.S., Russia and France in their airstrikes in Syria, and have conducted thousands of raids on ISIS positions in neighboring Iraq.
Recommended Reads
- Mother Jones: The U.S. Is Preparing to Ramp Up Its Ground War in Syria
- The Guardian: Syria Airstrikes: Everything You Need to Know
- The Washington Post: Here’s Why We Can Only Contain the Islamic State, Not Bomb It Back to the Stone Age
- Politico: Report Warns of ‘Unprecedented’ Support in U.S. for Islamic State
- Deutsche Welle: ‘Islamic State’ Is a Problem; Assad Is a Bigger Problem
Top image: Defense secretary Ash Carter, left, and Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr. arrive on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015, to testify before the House Armed Services Committee hearing on the U.S. Strategy for Syria and Iraq and its Implications for the Region. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)