Camp Pendleton Marines with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit have moved into Syria to help fight ISIS, according to a military public affairs officer in the Middle East who spoke to KPBS.
“These Marines are providing artillery fire support to the coalition — the indigenous Syrian forces there that are leading the fight to retake Raqqa. So the artillery support will enable them to get closer and defeat ISIS,” Maj. Thomas Craig — who is aboard the USS Makin Island — told KPBS.
According to the KPBS report, “The Pentagon has deployed 400 Marines on the ground to help Syrian fighters gain control of the northern city of Raqqa.
“Several hundred Special Operations troops have already been in Syria training local forces for months. The new mission comes as the Trump Administration is weighing a plan to defeat ISIS in Syria.”
In October, 4,500 service members assigned to the USS Makin Island departed San Diego.
–Staff