U.S. to Send 250 Additional Military Personnel to Syria

[jpak]

Source: Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama plans to announce Monday he is sending up to 250 additional military personnel to Syria to help local forces fighting Islamic State, significantly expanding the small American footprint inside the war-ravaged country, according to U.S. officials.

Mr. Obama recently signed off on the new deployment, which will increase the total number of American military personnel operating on the ground inside Syria from 50 to about 300, the U.S. officials said.

The new deployment comes despite Mr. Obama’s long-standing reservations about sending Americans into harm’s way in the face of growing pressure to do more to counter Islamic State. The move also means Mr. Obama, having failed to achieve his goal of ending U.S. involvements in either Iraq or Afghanistan, will have added a dangerous assignment to the Pentagon’s responsibilities.

Mr. Obama agreed to expand the U.S. presence in Syria after being persuaded by his top military advisers and others that additional U.S. personnel would allow the Pentagon to extend recent gains against Islamic State, according to a senior administration official. He is expected to announce the move Monday in Hannover, Germany, as he wraps up a weeklong foreign trip.

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Read more: http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-to-send-250-additional-military-personnel-to-syria-1461531600

[Loudestlib]

1. Never ending wars.

My children have never known what it's like for the US to not be at war.

[Red Mountain]

2. Wait, we're in Syria?

Sigh.

[840high]

3. We're all over

the world. Sad.

[jpak]

4. We've been there for a while

n/t

[Calista241]

5. Nothing to see here! What boots on the ground?

[forest444]

7. I'm surprised they don't refer to them as 'advisers'.

For tradition's sake, you know?

[n2doc]

6. Drip Drip Drip... n/t