U.S. Marines Enter Syria to Aid Fight for ISIS` Capital Raqqa

by Dramelin 2:00 AM 0 comments

Raqqa is the de facto capital of ISIS` so-called caliphate which stretches from Syria into Iraq.
U.
S.
Marines have arrived in Syria to support local forces in the battle for Raqqa ? the effective capital of ISIS ? several U.
S.
defense officials told NBC News late Wednesday.
In addition to these conventional troops, Special Operations Forces have been assisting against ISIS in Iraq and Syria for months.
A group from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived deployed with M777 Howitzers, capable of firing 155mm shells, to assist the coalition of militias collectively known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Lt.
Gen.
Stephen Townsend, who commands the American-led task force that is fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria, had the authority to pull these Marines from Kuwait and send them in to Syria for a short deployment.