US Secretary of State John Kerry, following a multilateral meeting on Syria in Vienna, confirmed that US President Barack Obama had decided to send a small contingent to the north of the country. “Obama decided to expand the operation; we decided to send a small contingent to northern Syria, which will coordinate the actions of the opposition,” TASS quotes the Secretary of State. In his opinion, this decision should “help the settlement” in Syria.

According to White House press secretary Josh Earnest, the US military, including the special forces group sent to Syria, will not coordinate their actions with Russia. “I don’t see a scenario in which the US military could coordinate its actions with the Russians,” RIA Novosti quotes him as saying.

In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized that the US decision to deploy special forces in Syria will not affect Russia’s position regarding joining efforts to combat terrorism. “Our position has not changed. Our task is to find a common enemy and fight it,” the minister noted.

As Kommersant wrote, US President Barack Obama has authorized the dispatch of American special forces to Syria, and they will also increase their presence at the base in Turkey. American media reported this on Friday evening, citing sources in the White House and Congress. It is expected that the official change in US strategy in the region will be announced later. Moscow says that the US ground military operation in Syria must be coordinated with Damascus.

Read more about the decision of the US President in the Kommersant article “The United States will send special forces to Syria and additional aircraft to a base in Turkey.”

John Kerry confirmed information about sending US special forces to Syria