Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder announced Thursday that the United States had doubled its military presence in Syria to combat the Islamic State (IS) group prior to the overthrow of President Bashar Assad’s government.

For years, the U.S. had stated that around 900 troops were stationed in Syria. However, Ryder confirmed that the current number is approximately 2,000.

He said the additional forces—consisting mainly of U.S. Army conventional troops and special operations forces—have been deployed for “temporary mission requirements” tied to the ongoing effort to defeat IS.

Ryder did not specify the exact timeline of the deployments but confirmed it happened before the ousting of Assad.

The Pentagon:

“We have been briefing you that there are approximately 900 US troops in Syria.”

“I learned today that in fact there are approximately 2,000 US troops in Syria.”

Is this a joke? https://t.co/JPufmfG47n pic.twitter.com/3ZPWIjAjiw

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) December 19, 2024

The Pentagon’s announcement comes amid increasing instability in Syria following Assad’s fall, with both Israel and Turkey launching military operations within Syrian territory. 

In recent days, Israeli forces have targeted weapons facilities previously controlled by Assad’s regime in the eastern part of the country. Concurrently, Turkey has escalated its offensive in northeast Syria against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a key U.S. ally in the fight against IS.

The United States has also intensified its airstrikes against IS targets in Syria, citing concerns that a power vacuum could allow the extremist group to regain strength. 

The deployment of additional troops, Ryder noted, aligns with Washington’s strategy to stabilize the region and prevent an IS resurgence.