Esper: U.S. troops, armoured vehicles going to Syria oil fields

BRUSSELS -- The U.S. will send armoured reinforcements into eastern Syria to bolster defences against a potential move by Islamic State militants on oil fields controlled by U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds, U.S. Defence Secretary Mark Esper said Friday. Esper described the added force as "mechanized," which would likely means it will include tanks and other combat vehicles such as Bradley armoured infantry carriers. This would introduce a new dimension to the U.S. military presence , which largely has