Carter: US Troops in Syria to Serve as 'Hub' for EU, Gulf Special Forces

The recently deployed US military personnel in Syria will act as a hub to integrate European and Gulf special forces into the US-led coalition against Daesh, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said at a congressional hearing on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – On Wednesday, about 150 US soldiers arrived in the Kurdish-controlled town of Rumeilan in northeastern Syria, according to a Kurdish security source. The source also said that part of the arrived contingent immediately headed to the north of the Raqqa province.

"[The US military forces] will also serve as a hub to incorporate partner special forces from both European and Gulf partners that will augment our coalition’s counter-ISIL [Daesh] efforts there," Carter told the US Senate Armed Services Committee.

On Monday, US President Barack Obama announced that Washington would "deploy up to 250 additional US personnel in Syria including special forces. They are reportedly expected to train the Syrian Democratic Forces.

The White House asserts that the deployment of Special Forces is intended to repel Daesh terrorists.

Despite Obama’s repetitive claims that there will be no US boots on Syrian ground, the recent plans to dramatically increase the American troop presence in Syria by deploying an additional 250 personnel is going to bring the total to 300.