Syria...Again?

Syria is in the news yet again! And we just learned the U.S. unveiled a big surprise—troops on the ground. In my last blog, I discussed how the U.S. hadn't physically intervened in Syria except for airstrikes and the occasional clandestine mission by special operations forces. In the past few weeks, the U.S. has shown a dramatic turn of events.

As early as March 6, 2017, news outlets reported the United States had sent U.S. Army Rangers, supported by armored fighting vehicle to Syria. If you aren't familiar with Army Rangers, they are the United States' premier fighting force. Classified as special operations forces, they are highly trained and very effective.

American flags fly proudly over the Rangers. Photo

The Rangers were sent along with Marines and artillery howitzers. The troops arrived in armored vehicles with American flags proudly flying. This overt display of American presence in the region suggests that things are heating up. Only a few weeks ago, America was only launching airstrikes. By having a strong physical presence on the ground, we are sending a much more ominous message to the terrorists and to the rest of the world.


The situation in Syria is more complicated than what you might first think. While you could say the U.S. has "good" relations with Turkey politically, the state of affairs in the country tells a different story. Turkey is extremely unstable, as Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesman suggests when he explains the SDF have taken "heavy attacks...by ISIS from south and Turkish, pro extremist militias from west, with heavy clashes." In layman's terms, the SDF and the United States' Kurdish allies, the The People's Protection Unit (YPG), are not only fighting ISIS terrorists, but other extremists, including those from Turkey.

The U.S. works closely with the YPG. Photo

This is all rather confusing, but it's part of the reason U.S. troops were sent to Syria. According to Jeff Davis, a Defense Department spokesman, "We have made visible actions in deploying U.S. forces...to reassure and deter." He elaborates, "That's to deter parties from attacking any other parties than ISIS itself." It is clear that the U.S. presence deters any attacks on our allies from outside extremist groups. Also apparent is the hyper-focus on the destruction of ISIS. The overall aim of our government as well as others is to focus on the annihilation of the terror group that is at the center of the violence and instability in the Middle East.

This latest development in Syria could yield some positive results, although controversial. For instance, a U.S.-led coalition of troops is moving to secure the city of Raqqa, one of the last ISIS strongholds in Syria. In fact, coalition spokesman U.S. Air Force Colonel John Dorrain said the effort to isolate Raqqa was "going very very well." From this account and from our trust in our armed forces, I believe we can assume we will have great success in Syria.

A few hundred U.S. Marines are in Syria. Photo

In his powerful address to Congress on February 28, President Trump vowed, "We will work with our allies, including our friends and allies in the Muslim world, to extinguish this vile enemy from our planet." So far, President Trump is keeping his promise and making big decisions to destroy the terrorist organization. Because troops were sent to Syria only recently, we will have to wait to see their long-term effects and if more personnel will be sent in the coming months.


I understand how sending in U.S. ground troops can be a controversial move—it may anger extremist groups or create more instability. However, I believe this is a powerful and necessary move. Although airstrikes are effective, their potential for unwanted destruction is a major drawback. With actual U.S. Soldiers and Marines on the ground, fighting will be more surgical, as compared to a massive bomb.

Do you think this latest development will work out in favor of the U.S.? Share your thoughts below.