Trump looks to leave ISIS on back foot with 'surprise' troop deployments in Iraq and Syria

Washington has said that it will from now on stop disclosing or confirming information about troop movement in places like Syria and Iraq and start to initiate “temporary” missions, like reported by express.co.uk.

Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said: “In order to maintain tactical surprise, ensure operational security and force protection, the coalition will not routinely announce or confirm information about the capabilities, force numbers, locations, or movement of forces in or out of Iraq and Syria.”

In addition, a representative of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) confirmed that “routine” troop deployment announcements would stop as US forces want the Isis terrorists to be the “first to know about any additional capabilities the Coalition or our partner forces may present them on the battlefield.”

The move has been criticised by Ned Price, a National Security Security Council spokesman under President Barack Obama, who said: “The position of the Obama administration was that the American people had a right to know if servicemen and women were in harm’s way.

“It’s truly shocking that the current administration furtively deploys troops without public debate or describing their larger strategy.”

It was revealed earlier this month after a number of US security officials leaked information to the US media that around 400 Marines had been quietly deployed in northern Syria in an attempt to support the Syrian Democratic Forces.

A separate report from Pentagon officials said that Washington is deploying up to 300 more additional paratroopers to help the Iraqi military recapture the city of Mosul.

A military official recently said that 5,262 US troops are currently deployed in Iraq while another 5.3 are believed to be in Syria, a move which Damascus officially sees as an illegal invasion.

However other US military sources have indicated that the real number may be much higher as those figures fail to reflect those servicemen who are sent to Iraq and Syria on so-called temporary “non-enduring” missions.

Those number include special operations forces, Marines and Army Rangers.

General Joseph Votel, the top US commander in the Middle East, said: “We have recognized that as we continue to pursue our military objectives in Syria, we are going to need more direct all-weather fire support capability for our Syrian Democratic Force partners.

“We have not taken our eye off what our principle mission is, which is to advise and assist and enable our partners… Help our partners fight, but not fight for them.”