Is President Trump about to double the number of American troops in Syria?

US Army forces in Syria.
(Image credit: Akram Saleh/Getty Images)

The United States military has drafted plans that, if approved by Defense Secretary James Mattis and President Trump, could deploy as many as 1,000 additional troops to Syria ahead of an offensive on Raqqa, The Washington Post reports. Raqqa, which lies in northern Syria, is the de facto capital of the Islamic State.

The discussed deployment could potentially double the number of American forces in Syria, although they would not, at least initially, serve a combat role. The exact number of troops that would be deployed relies on other variables, like the number of allies contributing to the campaign.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.