The deployment is temporary but is a sign Donald Trump’s White House is leaning toward giving the Pentagon greater flexibility in making routine combat decisions in the fight against Isis. In addition, the US is preparing to send hundreds of troops to Kuwait to be ready to fight Isis there if needed, the official said. It appeared the forces were largely there to ensure Turkish fighters and Syrian opposition groups focused on battling Isis rather than each other. Under the existing limits put in place by the Obama administration, the military can have up to 503 US forces in Syria. The military has mapped out options for the Syria fight, including increased artillery support, more Apache helicopters and a more robust training campaign.

Source: The Guardian March 09, 2017 05:15 UTC