President Obama said deploying Special Forces in Syria to advise opposition fighters combatting the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria does not break his public promise to “not put American boots on the ground in Syria.”
The President called the decision to send about 50 troops on a train and assist mission an “extension” of existing special operations, during an interview with NBC Nightly News Monday. He noted a key distinction was “not putting U.S. troops on the front lines.”
“We are not going to be fighting like we did in Iraq with battalions and occupations,” the President added.
The deployment marks a change in the U.S. strategy in Syria, which for more than a year has been limited to air strikes against ISIS.
[NBC]
More Must-Read Stories From TIME
- Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade, Undoing Constitutional Right to Abortion
- What the Supreme Court’s Abortion Decision Means for Your State
- The Failure of the Feminist Industrial Complex
- The Fight Over Abortion Has Only Just Begun
- Column: How Stereotypes Shape the Language People Use
- Everything We Know About Beyoncé's New Album, Renaissance
- Homes Made from Straw or Fungi Can Now Get You a Cheaper Mortgage in the Netherlands
- Going on Vacation This Summer? Welcome to the 'Revenge Travel' Economy
Read More From TIME