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Britain, France Agree to Slight Troop Increase in Syria
(Foreign Policy) Lara Seligman - The UK and France have agreed to a 10-15% troop increase in Syria to pick up the slack as U.S. troops withdraw, sources familiar with the discussions told Foreign Policy. Other countries may send small numbers of troops as well. A U.S. official said, "Overall we have been disappointed" in efforts to persuade U.S. allies to commit additional resources to the ongoing fight against the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria. The marginal increase of UK and French troops likely won't completely fill the gap left when U.S. forces leave. The U.S. footprint in Syria is expected to drop from 2,000 troops to 400. A second source estimated that Britain and France each has 200 to 300 troops in the country.