The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Stand up for the facts! Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now ![](\\" ![](\\" Brett McGurk stated on October 20, 2019 in an MSNBC appearance: \"President Trump has sent 14,000 American troops to the (Middle East) region since May. So he can\'t tell his political rallies that he\'s getting troops out of endless wars when he\'s sending 14 times the amount back into the region.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" true/3d4df195c595a07e3fd69b5e4aab3e3c.jpg.\\") ![\\"true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") * Foreign Policy * Military * PunditFact * Brett McGurk ![\\"Bill](\\" By Bill McCarthy October 22, 2019 # McGurk right that Trump has sent 14,000 troops to Middle East since May President Donald Trump has insisted that his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from the Syrian border with Turkey is a step toward getting the United States out of \"endless\" wars. But one critic of the move says Trump is breaking his own promise by sending troops back into other parts of the Middle East. The Pentagon has said it will shift about 1,000 American troops from Syria to western Iraq. Brett McGurk, Trump’s former special envoy for the coalition to counter the Islamic State, said leaving Syria opens the door for Russian and Iranian aggression in the Middle East. \"That is one reason we\'re seeing so much increased tension in the region and that President Trump has sent 14,000 American troops to the region since May,\" McGurk told MSNBC anchor Chuck Todd on \"Meet the Press\" Oct. 20. \"So he can\'t tell his political rallies that he\'s getting troops out of endless wars when he\'s sending 14 times the amount back into the region.\" We wanted to check if McGurk, who also served under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, was right that Trump has shipped 14,000 troops to the Middle East since May. Spoiler: McGurk’s claim is spot-on. The latest on Syria, American troops McGurk said he got his numbers from the Pentagon, which touted its troop commitments in an Oct. 11 press release announcing the deployment of about 3,000 U.S. forces to Saudi Arabia. The press release said the Pentagon had \"increased the number of forces by approximately 14,000 to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility\" since May. Defense Secretary Mark Esper repeated the same figures while briefing reporters that same day. The Pentagon told us the term \"area of responsibility\" refers to \"the entire Middle East,\" while Will Todman, an associate fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said it also includes Afghanistan and other parts of central Asia. (Definitions of the Middle East vary.) But Todman said the recent reduction of U.S. troops in Afghanistan likely means more have been deployed to the Middle East anyway. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on September 10, 2024 in a debate “As of today, there is not one member of the United States military who is in active duty in a combat zone, in any war zone around the world, for the first time this century.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" mostly-false/6a6ef6075c162fdccf5eb960e683dcd1.jpg.\\") ![\\"barely- true\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Sara Swann • September 11, 2024 So yes, Trump has sent 14 times as many soldiers to the Middle East as the approximately 1,000 troops that he pledged to remove when he announced his decision to pull out of Syria. \"Trump is using the rhetoric of ending endless war, but in reality he is waging more war,\" said Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a foreign policy think tank. \"In the Middle East, he is simply moving troops from one region to another. But relocation is not departure.\" On Oct. 19, Esper said the soldiers in northeast Syria would be relocated to western Iraq where they would \"help defend Iraq\" and fight against ISIS. More recently, Esper said the United States was considering leaving some troops behind to secure the region’s oil fields, according to the Associated Press. Troops began withdrawing to Iraq on Oct. 21, per the Wall Street Journal. Experts told us it’s difficult to determine how U.S. forces are distributed in the Middle East, in part because of changes former Defense Secretary James Mattis made to reduce transparency. According to June data from the Pentagon — which omits numbers for countries with ongoing operations such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan — there were at that time 283 total U.S. forces in Egypt, 76 in Israel, 20 in Lebanon, 1,750 in Turkey, 84 in Jordan, 2,077 in Kuwait, 535 in Saudi Arabia, 19 in Yemen, 17 in Oman, 374 in the United Arab Emirates, 636 in Qatar, and 4,865 in Bahrain. Those numbers include active duty personnel, national guard and reserve personnel and civilian personnel. According to the Royal Institute of International Affairs, a London think tank, they do not include temporary forces or classified special forces operating in secret. The June numbers are also outdated. The Pentagon told us it would not identify the recently deployed personnel by country, but it said more than 6,500 of the 14,000 soldiers sent out since May are at sea as part of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group. Still, experts told us the largest numbers of U.S. forces currently stationed in or near the Middle East are likely in Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Afghanistan. Our ruling McGurk said, \"President Trump has sent 14,000 American troops to the (Middle East) region since May. So he can\'t tell his political rallies that he\'s getting troops out of endless wars when he\'s sending 14 times the amount back into the region.\" His number matches what the Pentagon has publicly reported in press releases and briefings. We rate this statement True. #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources NBC News, \"Meet the Press — October 20, 2019,\" Oct. 20, 2019 U.S. Department of Defense, \"DoD Personnel, Workforce Reports & Publications,\" accessed Oct. 22, 2019 U.S. Department of Defense, \"Department of Defense Press Briefing by Secretary Esper and General Milley in the Pentagon Briefing Room,\" Oct. 11, 2019 U.S. Department of Defense, \"DOD Statement on Deployment of Additional U.S. Forces and Equipment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,\" Oct. 11, 2019 U.S. Department of Defense, \"Secretary of Defense Esper Media Engagement En Route to Afghanistan,\" Oct. 19, 2019 The Royal Institute of International Affairs, \"US Military Policy in the Middle East,\" Oct. 18, 2019 The Wall Street Journal, \"US Troops Withdrawing from Syria Draw Scorn,\" Oct. 21, 2019 The Associated Press, \"US may now keep some troops in Syria to guard oil fields,\" Oct. 21, 2019 Politico, \"Pentagon sends new wave of troops to Saudi Arabia even as Trump calls for ending wars,\" Oct. 11, 2019 The New York Times, \"Trump Orders Troops and Weapons to Saudi Arabia in Message of Deterrence to Iran,\" Oct. 11, 2019 Axios, \"Where U.S. troops and military assets are deployed in the Middle East,\" Sept. 21, 2019 Email interview with Will Todman, associate fellow in the Middle East program and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Oct. 21, 2019 Email interview with Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institute, Oct. 21, 2019 Email interview with Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Oct. 21, 2019 Email interview with Chris Preble, vice president for defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, Oct. 21, 2019 Email interview with Rebecca Rebarich, spokeswoman on the Middle East and Central Asia for the Department of Defense, Oct. 21, 2019 Email interview with Brett McGurk, former special envoy for the global coalition to counter ISIS, Oct. 21, 2019 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Bill McCarthy ![](\\" ![](\\" TikTok posts stated on July 19, 2022 in a TikTok post: An image shows Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in front of a cross with a figurine of former President Donald Trump on it. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • July 21, 2022 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 19, 2022 in an Instagram post: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was “faking being arrested” during an abortion- rights protest outside the Supreme Court. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • July 20, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on July 15, 2022 in a Facebook post: \"Antifa was already inside the Capitol with floor plans dressed as Trump supporters\" on Jan. 6, 2021, proving the attack “was 100% a setup.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • July 19, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on July 12, 2022 in a viral image: An image shows an “all aboard the Trump train” truck crashed into a bridge. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • July 15, 2022 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 12, 2022 in Instagram posts: Actor Tom Holland is “confirmed to have died.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • July 14, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on July 11, 2022 in Facebook posts: Images from Hunter Biden’s laptop show Joe Biden naked with a young girl. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Bill McCarthy • July 13, 2022 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 10, 2022 in an Instagram post: Shinzo Abe was assassinated because he “didn’t mandate vaccines, sent 1.6 million doses back and gave citizens ivermectin.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • July 11, 2022 ![](\\" black/4590875651af69b2c789ceab409664dd.jpg\\") ![](\\" black/72988380e8c8bd188dc360d11552e4a0.jpg\\") X posts stated on July 7, 2022 in in tweets: An image shows that “following his resignation, Boris Johnson has escaped to the sea.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • July 8, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on June 30, 2022 in Facebook posts: President Donald Trump was in a presidential limousine as he left his Jan. 6, 2021, rally at the White House Ellipse. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • July 8, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on July 2, 2022 in a Facebook post: \"Fox offers Chris Wallace\'s Sunday spot to Candace Owens.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • July 7, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Marjorie Taylor Greene stated on July 5, 2022 in a tweet: Says an image shows the Highland Park shooting suspect \"in jail or rehab or a psychiatric center\" before the shooting. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • July 5, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on June 28, 2022 in a Facebook post: An image shows a “UFO photographed on June 21, 2014 by the pilot from the cockpit of an F-16 military plane flying near Lackland Air Force Base of the United States located in San Antonio, Texas.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • June 30, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Greg Gutfeld stated on June 23, 2022 in a TV segment: No one “with a concealed carry permit ever committed a mass shooting.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • June 28, 2022 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on June 20, 2022 in an Instagram post: “Gas in Canada is $9.00 a gallon.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • June 22, 2022 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on June 20, 2022 in an Instagram post: A compilation of images shows what Joe Biden has “done to our country.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • June 21, 2022 ### McGurk right that Trump has sent 14,000 troops to Middle East since May * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 30, 2024 in a Threads post: Image shows a photo of former President Donald Trump wading through floodwater after Hurricane Helene. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • October 2, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on September 29, 2024 in a rally in Erie, PA: Kamala Harris \"let in the 13,099 convicted murderers and opposes all efforts to find them and to remove them.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Marta Campabadal Graus • October 2, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 25, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Georgia coach Kirby Smart\'s family ends relationship with Taylor Swift: ‘We do not support her endorsement.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • October 1, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 20, 2024 in a Facebook post: “TD Jakes MYSTERIOUSLY VANISHES: The search for the renowned bishop begins!” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • October 1, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on September 29, 2024 in X posts: A biolab caught fire in Georgia right before the 2024 election. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • October 1, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on September 29, 2024 in a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania: Vice President Kamala Harris “even wants to legalize fentanyl.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Amy Sherman • October 1, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" House Majority PAC stated on September 9, 2024 in a television ad: Laurie Buckhout is “trying to get to Congress to pass a national abortion ban, allowing politicians to ban abortions with no exceptions and prosecute women if they get an abortion, treating women right here like criminals.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Paul Specht • October 1, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump Jr. stated on September 9, 2024 in a post: “Less than three months ago, Kamala Harris and her administration blocked 300,000 unvetted Haitian migrants from being deported out of our country.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on September 30, 2024 in an X post: Photo shows President Joe Biden lounging on the beach \"while towns all over America were being wiped out” by Hurricane Helene. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Samantha Putterman • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Social Media stated on September 30, 2024 in in social media posts: “Biden Announces: ‘2.4 billion more to Ukraine’ but ‘no more aid for Hurricane Helene.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • September 30, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. Become a member! In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts. Sign me up #### Offices District of Columbia 1800 I Street NW Washington, DC 20006 Florida 801 3rd St. S St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-821-9494 #### People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis #### State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin #### About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters #### RSS Feeds * Recent Articles and Fact-checks * Recent Fact-checks Suggest a Fact-check #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Copyright ©All Rights Reserved Poynter Institute 2020, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization ![\\"\\"](\\" ✕ * * *
President Trump has sent 14000 American troops to the Middle East region since May So he Cannot tell his political rallies that He is getting troops out of endless wars when He is sending 14 times the amount back into the region