Washington: US President Barack Obama plans to announce the deployment of 250 additional troops for Syria to assist local armies in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terror group.
According to reports citing US government officials on Sunday, Obama recently authorised the deployment, which will increase the number of US military personnel operating within Syrian territory from 50 to about 300, EFE news reported.
The deployment will take place despite the president’s reluctance to send troops to Syria, amid rising pressure to act more in the fight against IS.
Obama agreed to further expand US military presence after being persuaded by his advisors that this measure would allow the Pentagon to expand recent advances in operations against the militant group.
It is expected that the US president will make the announcement in Hannover, Germany, where he is on an official visit.
The US is leading the international military coalition against IS in Iraq and Syria, where the militant group occupies large areas of the two countries and proclaimed an Islamic caliphate in June 2014.