Saudi FM Confirms Talks on Sending Special Forces to Syria

State Dept 'Welcomes' Proposal to Send Ground Troops

Speaking to reporters after a second day of meetings with Secretary of State John Kerry, Saudi FM Adel al-Jubeir confirmed that “discussions” are ongoing about the possibility of sending special forces, or even a broader “ground force contingent” into Syria.

The comments come just days after Saudi Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri suggested the idea  of sending troops into Syria to participate in a broader ground war including the US and other coalition members to fight against ISIS.

Jubeir’s comments didn’t go into as much detail about the need for a coalition “consensus” on the operation, or really how much of the rest of the coalition would have to contribute ground troops to get the Saudis to commit to the attack.

The US State Department praised the suggestion, saying they “welcome this proposal” and believe the Saudis could indeed intensify their efforts in the war by “introducing some ground elements,” though they too were unwilling to go into detail about exactly what form this deployment would take.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.