NATO ‘has no plans’ to send ground troops to Syria

NATO says it has no plans to deploy ground troops to Syria, where a coalition of regional and non-regional countries has been purportedly targeting the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group in an aerial campaign.

“That is not on the agenda of the coalition and the NATO allies,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger on Monday.

The United States has already deployed dozens of ground troops to Syria on a declared mission of assisting Kurdish forces in their battle against Daesh terrorists. The presence of US troops on the ground in Syria lacks any mandate from the Syrian government. Damascus says it is a violation of its sovereignty.

Furthermore, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said last week that the Pentagon is “prepared to expand” the role of Special Operations Forces in Syria.

Stoltenberg, however, said, “The United States has a limited number of special forces. In the foreground, however, is strengthening local forces. This is not easy, but it’s the only option,” he said.

He claimed that, since “Muslims are on the front line in this war” and that “most victims are Muslims,” the West cannot “carry on this struggle for them.”

Last month, former NATO Commander James Stavridis called for sending up to 15,000 troops to Syria to tackle Daesh.