The US Soon Will Have More Troops Along The Mexican Border Than It Has Fighting In Iraq And Syria

Posted on October 29, 2018, at 7:10 p.m. ET

The US military on Monday announced it would soon have more troops deployed along the US–Mexico border than it has fighting extremists in Syria and Iraq.

Air Force Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, the head of US Northern Command, announced that 5,200 troops would soon join 2,092 National Guard members who were deployed in April along the border, bringing the total number of US troops there to roughly 7,300.

That is more than are currently deployed to Iraq and Syria, where the US has 5,200 and 2,000 troops, respectively, and about half the US military presence of 15,000 in Afghanistan.

Piper Jones