WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Approximately 2,000 U.S. troops are deployed to Syria, much higher than the previously reported figure of around 900 troops, the Pentagon acknowledged on Thursday.
Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder confirmed the change at a press briefing on Thursday, noting that the additional deployments were made in response to the evolving security situation in Syria and to safeguard critical U.S. interests in the region.
"As I understand it and as it was explained to me, these additional forces are considered temporary rotational forces that deploy to meet shifting mission requirements, whereas the core 900 deployers are on longer-term deployments," Ryder explained at the briefing.
He also pointed out that these forces, which support the mission to defeat ISIS, had been deployed there before the collapse of the Assad government.
This is the first official confirmation of a significant increase in U.S. troops in Syria. ■