US Troops On The Ground In Syria: Republican Presidential Candidates React To Obama Announcement

After the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama announced Friday that ground forces would be sent into Syria to help with the fight against the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, presidential candidates took to Twitter to deliver their takes on the events.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who has built his campaign and his general political life on a strong pro-war and American military stance, was particularly vocal, tweeting three times in five minutes. He criticized the move as being too tepid a response to ISIS.

Others, like Ohio Gov. John Kasich, pointed out that he had been calling on the president to put troops in the region since February. None of the three leading Democrats running for their party's nomination tweeted statements or opinions.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who had a breakout moment during the second debate, which focused on foreign policy, did not weigh in online.

U.S. Special Forces will be sent to Syria to help and advise Syrian rebels on the ground, the administration said in its announcement. The decision to send in American troops was seen as a major reversal of previous positions and statements, in which Obama promised that troops would not be deployed in the region. Obama also recently walked back the promise that U.S. forces would be pulled out of Iraq before the end of his presidency.

The ground troops come as the conflict there has become increasingly perilous. At the end of September, Russia began an air campaign in order to boost Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime. The U.S. has called on Assad to step aside.

Requests for comment sent to the campaigns of other candidates were not immediately returned.