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Speaking in Germany on Monday while on a farewell tour of Europe, President Obama聽announced the deployment of an additional 250 US troops, including special operations personnel, into Syria to keep up the "momentum" against ISIS.

That increases the number of US military personnel in Syria from about 50 to roughly 300.

This announcement may come as a surprise to some after Mr. Obama told the BBC just a few days ago聽that deploying US ground troops against ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) was unnecessary. At that time, instead of international military involvement, Obama underscored the need for internal dialogue between Syrian rebels and the organized opposition, the High Negotiations Committee, that would effectively bypass President Assad's regime.

Obama's decision to deploy additional troops coincides with his arrival in Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel called for the creation of "safety zones" in Syria so that refugees could seek asylum without leaving their country, USA Today reported. Obama said he did not have an 鈥渋deological objection,鈥� to this effort at curbing refugee emigration, but said that it would be unattainable without a sprawling military presence.

Obama's administration now asserts that the new deployment to Syria is similar to聽last week's聽announcement to send a contingent of 200 troops to help with the fight to retake Mosul, Iraq, from ISIS. Most of the additional US troops in Iraq and Syria are special operations troops who strategically advise and assist local forces and officials in the aftermath of ISIS as opposed to launching attacks aimed at dismantling existing ISIS strongholds; what Obama refers to as an attempt at "tightening the squeeze on ISIS."

In contrast, these dual deployments' purpose is to reflect US commitment to a smooth transition once the聽Islamic State is defeated in Syria.

鈥淥ne of the things that I learned as president is that we have to make sure that whatever it is that we say were going to do we can deliver and creating a situation in which we could actually protect all the people inside of Syria 鈥� the best be for doing that 鈥� is to get this political process on track, a transition on track, so that all the parties can safely lay down their arms and create the kind of inclusive government that Syria so desperately needs,鈥� Obama said at the Hannover, Germany,聽press conference.

The deployment to Syria comes on the heels of the US combat units sent to Mosul last month. US聽Marines fired illumination rounds to help the Iraqi forces locate ISIS fighters, and also fired artillery rounds in support of Iraqi troops moving forward to retake Mosul, reported the Associated Press

The聽Washington Post reports that ISIS is being squeezed in both countries and the would-be caliphate has not had a successful military offensive in almost nine months.聽

With the latest troops being sent, White House argues that it is trying to help lay the groundwork for a governable post-Islamic State-run society before Obama鈥檚 exit from office. 聽

On stops in Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and Germany this week,聽Obama聽repeatedly called for more military support, training for local forces, and economic aid to help reconstruct regions in Iraq that have been retaken from Islamic State control but are still vulnerable.聽Obama聽appeared to come up short in Riyadh, when he met with Arab allies, the Associated Press reported.聽