U.S. involvement in Syria escalates with ground troop insertion

By Jared Morgan

U.S. Marines from the The 11th MEU fire their M777 Lightweight 155mm Howitzer during Exercise Alligator Dagger, Dec. 18, 2016. (U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Zachery C. Laning)
A California lawmaker on Thursday blasted President Donald Trump over the deployment of hundreds of artillery Marines and others to Syria, calling him a “war monger.”
“Putting our nation’s men and women in harm’s way to help assault a city in a faraway place is mission creep,” said Rep. Ted Lieu in a statement.
The Washington Post broke the story Wednesday, reporting that Marines and sailors with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit floated out of San Diego in October to support the Syrian rebels seeking to take control of the northern city of Raqqah, where the Islamic State has established a capitol.
Though the MEU is composed of 2,400 service personnel from various elements of the Navy and Marine Corps, including aircraft, infantry and other ground units, only the artillery Marines have been deployed with their M-777 Howitzers.
This is a typical first step in softening the battlefield to make way for a more personal ground assault to be carried out by the infantry and air elements onboard the three Navy ships, likely floating off the coast.   

Source: Guns.com