CNN  —  The number of US troops in Syria has regularly surged higher than the Pentagon has publicly disclosed since at least 2020, and in recent months increased to more than double the roughly 900 troops the US has long said are in Syria, multiple defense officials familiar with the matter told CNN. The Pentagon said last week that the additional troops beyond the 900 are “temporary.” But on Monday, Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, acknowledged that the numbers of forces