US doubles troops in Syria, may soon send delegation to meet HTS
On the heels of a visit to Syria by UK officials and the European Union’s announcement of a return to a “fully operational” embassy in Damascus, Washington may now be sending its own delegation to meet the leadership of the Syrian opposition.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Bloomberg Surveillance programme on Thursday that the Biden administration is “looking at getting people on the ground in Syria” after receiving positive signs from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group that led the overthrow of the Assad government earlier this month.
Blinken had previously confirmed that the US made “direct contact” with the rebels.
The comments came on the same day the Pentagon disclosed it had secretly doubled the number of US troops in northeast Syria, increasing the force from approximately 900 to 2,000 soldiers. The deployment occurred well before the rebels began their swift takeover, although no specific date was provided.
Read more: US doubles troops in Syria, may soon send delegation to meet HTS
