(DCNF)—Neither the White House nor the Pentagon seem to know how the official count for the number of U.S. troops in Syria has more than doubled.
White House Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to explain Friday how there could be an 1,100 troop discrepancy in reported U.S. forces in Syria, instead pointing to the Pentagon. Similarly, Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder said Thursday at a press conference he couldn’t speak for the Oval Office on whether or not they were aware of the true number of troops in the nation.
“That is their purview,” Jean-Pierre told reporters Friday. “That is something that we have always been pretty consistent on.”
Ryder said he had “recently learned” that the number had been 2,000 since “before the fall of Assad regime.” The original 900 figure counts the long-term personnel stationed in the country, while the additional 1,100 were described as “temporary rotational forces,” Ryder told the press Thursday.
It remains unclear whether or not President Joe Biden knew of the true number of troops, and the White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment on the discrepancy.
The U.S. operates military bases in Syria to counteract ISIS, most frequently aiding the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). ISIS’ presence was drastically cut down in the Middle East during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term.
The SDF are fighting the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). If the SNA continues to push into SDF territory, it may compromise the detainment of 9,000 ISIS fighters in SDF custody, which may allow them to reestablish themselves in the region.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was toppled on Dec. 8 by a rebel group spearheaded by Islamic fundamentalist terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). U.S. troops are currently deployed to counter ISIS and aid the SDF.
President-elect Donald Trump may decrease involvement in Syria, as he stated in a post on Truth Social Dec. 7 that he wants the U.S. to stay uninvolved in Syria and that there was not much to gain.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
At Last, a Company With Integrity in the Gold IRA Industry
For several years, I’ve been vetting out precious metals companies in search of the best. I believe in gold and silver but it’s hard to find integrity in the Gold IRA industry. The vast majority operate with shady tactics and gigantic spreads that take advantage of Americans who simply want to protect their life’s savings.
I’ve found a handful that I like and I’ve worked with some of them. By no means would I “unrecommend” them because, again, I vetted them out and found them to be above the fold. Unfortunately, it isn’t hard to be better than the rest when the rest are so darn awful.
After years of searching, I finally found a company that truly operates with integrity. Augusta Precious Metals has three important attributes that set them far above the competition:
- Non-Commissioned Sales Team: I cannot stress how important and unique this is. With just about every other company in the Gold IRA industry, the sales teams make commission from every account they open. This means they steer their clients toward the gold and silver products with the highest commission. With Augusta Precious Metals, the team is solely focused on putting the best gold and silver for their clients into their IRA. They get paid to serve the best interests of the Gold IRA client, NOT their own commission pay.
- Incredibly Low Fees: Most Americans would be shocked if they knew the spread other Gold IRA companies charge. Augusta charges just 5% versus up to 45% elsewhere.
- No Pressure, No Gimmicks: There’s an understanding among most in the Gold IRA industry that fear and pressure is the way to go. Augusta Precious Metals takes a sober approach when working with clients because they hold integrity in the highest possible regard. This is why they don’t offer gimmicks like “free” or “bonus” silver. It’s also why they do not apply pressure tactics to get quick sales. Their educational and transparent approach to doing business is exceedingly rare in the Gold IRA industry.
