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1st LD: Report says 50 U.S. troops in Syria to aid Kurdish fighters

Xinhua, November 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

A total of 50 U.S. military personnel arrived in northern Syria on Thursday to aid Kurdish fighters against Islamic State (IS) militants, pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported.

The U.S. personnel entered Syria from Turkey through the Murshid Binar border crossing, the report said, adding that some of them reached the predominantly-Kurdish city of Ayn al-Arab, also known as Kobane, in the countryside of the northern province of Aleppo, while the rest reached the Kurdish areas in the city of Qamishli in the northeastern province of Hasakah.

The report provided no further details, but last month, U.S. President Barak Obama announced that he had ordered several dozen special operations troops into Syria for the first open-ended mission by U.S. ground forces there.

The White House said the troops will number "fewer than 50," and advise local forces fighting the IS but not play a direct combat role.

The Pentagon said the troops will be useful in coordinating efforts with Kurdish forces.

The arrival of the U.S. military personnel is the first declared and known presence of U.S. boots on the ground in Syria. Endit