During Tuesday’s presidential debate Vice President Kamala Harris inaccurately made it sound as though there are no U.S. soldiers deployed in overseas conflict zones.
“And as of today, there is not one member of the United States military who is in active duty in a combat zone, in any war zone around the world, the first time this century,” Harris said.
The U.S. maintains nearly 1,000 troops on bases in Syria and another 2,500 in Iraq, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. In Syria, U.S. troops are stationed to help prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group. They play a similar role in Iraq, where they also help disrupt Iran’s influence and supply lines to various militias.
Major civil war hostilities in both Syria and Iraq have gradually eased but both places are mired in low-level conflict.
One example of how U.S. troops are in harm’s way overseas: On the last day of August, a U.S. military-led raid in western Iraq killed at least 15 Islamic State group “operatives” who fought back with numerous weapons including grenades and explosive “suicide” belts. Seven U.S. soldiers were injured during the operation.
And in January, three U.S. soldiers were killed and 40 more injured in nearby Jordan when the base they were on close to Syria’s border came under attack by an Iranian-made drone.