The Trump administration has stopped disclosing material information about the size and nature of the U. S. commitment to military action in Iraq and Syria, including the number of U. S. troops deployed in either country, in a bid to “surprise” the Islamic State with the number of US troops in the region the LA Times reports.
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Earlier this month, the Pentagon quietly dispatched 400 Marines to northern Syria to operate artillery in support of Syrian militias that are cooperating in the fight against Islamic State, according to U. S. officials. That was the first use of U. S. Marines in that country since its long civil war began. In Iraq, nearly 300 Army paratroopers were deployed recently to help the Iraqi military in their six-month assault on the city of Mosul, according to U. S. officials.
The decision appears to be making good on Trump’s promise as a candidate to insist on more of an ‘element of surprise’ in battle tactics.
‘In order to maintain tactical surprise, ensure operational security and force protection, the coalition will not routinely announce or confirm information about the capabilities, force numbers, locations, or movement of forces in or out of Iraq and Syria,’ said Eric Pahon, a Pentagon spokesman.
This post was published at Zero Hedge on Apr 2, 2017.
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