Denmark to Send Special Forces to Syria

Parliament Approves Deployment of Up to 60 Ground Troops

Expanding on their involvement in US-led coalition’s military operations in Iraq and Syria, the Danish Parliament today approved the deployment of up to 60 special forces ground troops into Syria. The Danish government had sought, and failed, to get similar permission back in April, but won the vote this time.

Details on what the Danish troops will be doing in Syria are unclear, but officials did say they would be operating in the area along the Iraq-Syria border. The government had previously announced they are ending their operation of F-16s over Syrian airspace.

This makes Denmark the third member of the US-led coalition to send ground troops into Syria, following the United States itself and France. None of the nations has Syrian government permission to deploy troops into the country, which has at times been a sore spot.

In addition to the ground troops, which add to the Danish troops already based in Iraq, Denmark has also announced that it will send a single navy frigate into the area, where it will operate alongside a US aircraft carrier.

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.