National Security

Pentagon Considers Sending Ground Troops To Take Out ISIS In Syria

U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class E. L. Craig, Task Force Patriot PAO

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Russ Read Pentagon/Foreign Policy Reporter
Font Size:

The Department of Defense is mulling the idea of sending conventional ground forces to northern Syria in an effort to hasten the fight against the Islamic State, according to a CNN report Wednesday.

“It’s possible that you may see conventional forces hit the ground in Syria for some period of time,” a defense official told CNN. They added that any decision to use ground forces would ultimately lie with President Donald Trump.

Trump has reportedly ordered Secretary of Defense James Mattis to provide him with a plan to fight ISIS before the month is out.

U.S. forces in Syria have been limited to special operations teams thus far, numbering approximately 500. The Obama administration avoided sending conventional forces into Syria, and sent approximately 4,460 troops to help fight ISIS in Iraq.

Trump campaigned for the presidency promising to drastically escalate the fight against ISIS. On Jan. 29, he ordered his generals to give him a battle plan to destroy the terrorist group within 30 days.

Follow Russ Read on Twitter

Send tips to russ@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.