What US Special Forces are doing on the ground in Syria and Iraq
Article/Op-Ed in CNN
Oct. 31, 2016
Peter Bergen wrote for CNN about U.S. special forces operation against ISIS.
US Special Operations Forces are playing an important role on the ground in the fight against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, according to a senior American defense official.
In Syria, the number of Special Operations Forces is often in flux, but up to 300 are authorized to be in the country. In Iraq, there are 100 Special Operations Forces on the ground, according to the official.
US Special Forces in Syria are advising the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is made up of a number of local militias, including the Kurdish YPG.
Those soldiers are not generally advising the Syrian Democratic Forces side by side as they go into battle but typically advising and training them from behind the frontlines in northern Syria, according to the senior American defense official.