Pentagon likely to acknowledge 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria: U.S. officials

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

The Pentagon is likely to announce in the coming days that there are about 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, two U.S. officials said on Friday, as the military acknowledges that an accounting system for troops has under-reported the size of forces on the ground.

The U.S. military had earlier publicly said it had around 500 troops in Syria, mostly supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces group of Kurdish and Arab militias fighting Islamic State in the north of the country.

Two U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the Pentagon could, as early as Monday, publicly announce that there are slightly more than 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria. They said there was always a possibility that last minute changes in schedules could delay an announcement.

That is not an increase in troop numbers, just a more accurate count, as the numbers often fluctuate.

An accounting system, known as the Force Management Level (FML), was introduced in Iraq and Syria during former President Barack Obama’s administration as a way to exert control over the military.

But the numbers do not reflect the extent of the U.S. commitment on the ground since commanders often found ways to work around the limits - sometimes bringing in forces temporarily or hiring more contractors.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pentagon-likely-to-acknowledge-2000-us-troops-in-syria-us-officials/ar-BBFBxjf?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=edgsp

[Nevernose]

1. Not an increase in troop numbers

“That is not an increase in troop numbers, just a more accurate count, as the numbers often fluctuate.”

That’s military euphemism for one of two things:

A) “We are lying to you. It’s definitely an increase in troop numbers”
or
B) “We were lying before about the number of troops, and probably still are.”

Euphemisms are what our military does best. Remember destroying the city in order to save it?

My all time favorite was during a press briefing about Somalia. The back and forth between the general and a press corps that wasn’t going to have any of his bullshit. Fifty times in a row he flat refused to use the word “attack.” Over and over he kept insisting that it wasn’t an attack, it was a “preliminary retaliation.”

[flotsam]

2. " mostly supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces group of Kurdish and Arab militias"

Would these be the Kurdish militias he told Ergodan he was cutting off arms to? Because it looks like the Kurds are better allies than Turkey...