More U.S. Troops May Be Sent Into Syria
MEP: The top US commander for the Middle East, General Joseph L. Votel, has said Wednesday that more US troops might be needed to send into Syria for fighting against Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) terrorist group and push towards Raqqa.
“I am very concerned about maintaining momentum,” General L. Votel, told reporters, as quoted by CBS News.
He said local forces being supported by the US “don’t have as good mobility, they don’t have as much firepower, so we have to be prepared to fill in some of those gaps for them,” noting that such support may involve additional fire support capability and “a variety of other things” to help “offset some of the gaps.”
Votel spoke to a small group of reporters accompanying him on a trip to the Middle East, shortly before the Pentagon is due to present President Trump with a plan for accelerating the defeat of ISIS in both Iraq and Syria.
Votel stressed, however, that Washington is not considering sending US troops to take over the fighting, and that the strategy developed during the Obama administration of keeping local forces at the forefront would remain unchanged.
His comments were in reference to the mission to liberate Raqqa from ISIS militants, who have claimed it as their de facto capital.
Votel also stated that Iraqi forces are making rapid gains on the southern outskirts of Mosul, but that the “real test will be once we get into the city itself.”
Eastern Mosul has already been liberated following a 100-day battle in which Iraqi troops suffered heavy casualties. The operation to liberate western Mosul began over the weekend.
