US may send 1,000 more troops to Syria

Up to 1,000 additional US troops could deploy to northern Syria under provisional plans drawn up by the Pentagon, a US defense official said on Wednesday.

The plans, which still need to be approved by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, would mark a significant uptick in US boots on the ground in Syria as part of the fight against the Islamic State group.

Currently, the troop level is capped at 500 in Syria, but that number has become increasingly meaningless as commanders flow extra "temporary" forces in as needed -- such as last week's deployment of a Marine artillery battery near Raqa.

The actual number of American troops in the war-torn country is likely now between 800 and 900.

Trump has said he wants to quicken the defeat of IS and told the Pentagon to come up with a range of plans that could accomplish that goal.