| CNN | - |
Washington
(CNN) The Pentagon on Thursday pushed back on assertions that U.S.
special operations forces were fighting ISIS fighters on the front lines
alongside the Syrian forces they are advising in the battle against the
terrorist group.
Pentagon denies U.S. special forces are fighting ISIS on front lines in Syria
Armed
men in uniform identified by Syrian Democratic Forces as U.S. special
operations forces ride in the back of a pickup truck in the village of
Fatisah in the northern Syrian province of Raqqa on May 25, 2016.
Story highlights
- A news agency published photos it says are of U.S. special operations forces operating near the front lines north of Raqaa
- U.S. officials have maintained that U.S. forces on the ground are only there to advise and assist local forces
Washington (CNN)The
Pentagon on Thursday pushed back on assertions that U.S. special
operations forces were fighting ISIS fighters on the front lines
alongside the Syrian forces they are advising in the battle against the
terrorist group.
Agence
France-Presse published photos Thursday that the news agency says are
U.S. special operations forces operating near the front lines north of
Raqaa, ISIS's self-declared capital, as they conduct their
advise-and-assist mission of the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, that
the United States is assisting in the battle to defeat ISIS.
"Our
forces in Iraq and Syria, their instructions, their mission, is clear
that they are not at that leading edge," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter
Cook told reporters Thursday. "They're able to defend themselves, but
they have to be in a position to be able to provide the kind of advice
and assistance needed to help these forces, these local forces,
succeed."
Since the beginning of
U.S. military involvement in Iraq and Syria against ISIS, U.S. officials
have maintained that U.S. forces on the ground are only there to advise
and assist local forces in their fight against ISIS, and are prohibited
under the rules of engagement to conduct offensive military operations
against ISIS.
Despite the apparent
closeness to kinetic action in the photos, Pentagon officials maintain
that rule of engagement holds true in Syria even though there is no
fixed position inside Syria from where U.S. forces cannot move forward
from.
"This
is a fluid situation where the forward line of troops can be moving,"
Cook said without ever explicitly confirming the authenticity of the
photos or their location to preserve operational security for the U.S.
forces. "And so they're doing their best to adjust to the circumstances
on the ground, carrying out their mission in an effective way as
possible."
U.S. forces in both Iraq
and Syria do reserve the right to use their weapons for their personal
defense or greater force protection reasons.
Questions
regarding the photos were also raised due to the fact that the U.S.
special operations forces appear to be wearing the insignia of the YPG,
the main Kurdish force inside Syria, the optics of which could present
all sorts of difficulties in a multi-ethnic region riven with sectarian
tensions.
While refusing to comment
specifically on the photos themselves, Cook said in the past, U.S.
forces in similar situations have taken various measures to draw
attention away from their presence in hostile environments.
"Special
operations forces, when they operate in certain areas, do what they can
to, if you will, blend in with the community to enhance their own
protection, their own security," he said.
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