US additional troops enter Syria to help fight agianst ISIS

United States has sent 400 additional troops to Syria to support an allied local force aiming to capture the Islamic State terror group's stronghold of Raqqa. They include Marines, who arrived in the past few days. US special forces are already in Syria.

Defence officials told the Washington Post that a Marine artillery unit had been deployed with large field guns that can fire 155mm shells about 32 kilometers. Over the weekend, a separate force of elite US Army Rangers was also deployed near a town



north-west of Raqqa in heavily-armoured vehicles. Meanwhile, US-led coalition air strikes killed 20 civilians - including children - near the city, reports say.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is to host talks with coalition members ahead of an expected assault on Raqqa. The State department said that Foreign Ministers and senior officials from 68 nations and international organisations had been invited to attend a two day gathering in Washington beginning on March, 22nd.