National Guard Still Fighting in Middle East Despite Domestic Deployments

On paper, the US military is helping the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fight ISIS, but in reality, the mission is part of the economic strangulation of Syria. On top of crippling economic sanctions that specifically target reconstruction efforts and the energy sector, the region of Syria where US troops are deployed is where most of the country’s oil fields are, keeping the vital resource out of the hands of Damascus.