President Trump is considering sending at least 1,000 American troops to Kuwait to serve as a reserve force in the war against ISIS, a report says.
US officials told Reuters that the Trump administration is weighing the deployment in the attempt to speed up the ongoing US-led offensive against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
Supporters believe the move would ultimately provide military commanders on the ground with more flexibility and allow them to respond faster on the battlefield, Reuters reports.
“This is about providing options,” explained one U.S. official, who chose to remain anonymous.
Deploying additional troops to the region would be a major boost to the existing presence in Kuwait, officials said.
It is unclear if U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is in favor of the proposal.
Officials said that the option to deploy a US reserve force in Kuwait stems from an ongoing review of the US strategy to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria. There are currently around 6,000 U.S. troops currently stationed in the region, serving largely in advisory roles, Reuters reports.
Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump vowed to defeat the Islamic State on numerous occasions.
The option to let military leaders in the Middle East have more control over what’s happening on the battlefield would be a far cry from what the Obama administration chose to do to fight the Islamic State.
The former president was blasted for micromanaging several details in the war against ISIS during his time in office — including the use of helicopters and movement of small groups of troops.
If the deployment is carried out by Trump, US officials said this would no longer be the case.
The decision on whether to use the Kuwait-based reserve forces would reportedly be left to local commanders.
With Post Wires.