President Trump and his administration are considering deploying as many as 1,000 American soldiers to Kuwait, where they would serve as reserve forces in the fight against the Islamic State, according to a report published Wednesday evening.
The proposed move comes as the U.S. and its allies push deeper into Syria and Iraq. Adding the back-up soldiers would give military leaders additional troops to rely on for unexpected challenges as they move in on the terrorist group’s territory.
Former President Obama had left those decisions — whether to send in additional troops or rely on Kuwait-based reserves — to local commanders. However, the Trump administration is looking at intervening in order to provide more options for U.S. military leaders there, a U.S. official told Reuters.
Some 6,000 U.S. troops are deployed in Syria and Iraq, mostly in advisory roles. If the White House moved to deploy the additional troops, it could affect Kuwait’s role in the fight against the Islamic State.
Trump has yet to make much in the way of policy shifts regarding the U.S. approach to defeating the Islamic State. Trump promised taking down the group would be handled during his first term in office.
