Dozens of US special operations forces will arrive in Syria "very soon," as promised by President Barack Obama's administration, a senior official said Sunday.
In late October, Obama authorized no more than 50 special operations forces to deploy to northern Syria in a non-combatant, advisory role to help coordinate local ground troops and anti-IS coalition efforts.
The US troops will assist an Arab-Kurd coalition that includes the main Syrian Kurdish militia the People's Protection Units , Arab groups and Syriac Christians.
The coalition is also trying to cut off access for IS to the Syrian border in order to cut off the main access route between Raqqa and the Iraqi city of Mosul, McGurk explained.