The Washington Times :
The Obama administration is planning to deploy a small number of U.S. special operations forces in Syria, according to multiple reports.
The White House is expected to announce the move later Friday. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has said previously that the administration has no intention of engaging in long-term, large-scale combat operations such as in Iraq and Afghanistan, but hasn’t ruled out stepping up certain military efforts.
A senior U.S. official told NBC news that the forces will be stationed in northern Syria and work alongside groups with a proven track record of fighting the Islamic State. The move will be described as a “shift” but not a “change” in U.S. strategy against the extremist group, the official added.
Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said Friday that no country could use military force in Syria without first securing the agreement of the Syrian government, the TASS news agency reported.
TASS said Mr. Ryabkov was responding to a question about the prospect of the U.S. launching a ground operation in Syria.
“The question of using military force in any form without the agreement of Damascus is for us unacceptable,” it quoted him as saying.
President Obama and his advisers have come under increasing criticism in Congress over the failure of a $500 million “train and equip” plan to recruit a moderate Syrian opposition army to fight the Islamic State.
While the U.S. has been leading a coalition carrying out air strikes against the Islamic State, Mr. Obama has said repeatedly he won’t send combat troops into Syria.
The U.S. also has about 3,500 troops in Iraq as military advisers in the fight against the Islamic State. One soldier was killed in Iraq last week during a mission to rescue hostages from the extremist group.
