Fact Check: Joe Biden Says There’s a Difference Between ‘Combat Troops’ and ‘Special Forces’

Former Vice President Joe Biden said during the Democrat debate on Tuesday that there was a difference between “combat troops” and “Special Forces.”

“There’s a difference between combat troops and leaving special forces in position,” he said when discussing what he would do in the Middle East.

However, as many quickly pointed out on social media — Special Forces are indeed combat troops, and in fact, are the primary forces currently in combat in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.

“There’s a difference between combat troops and leaving special forces…” – @JoeBiden

Special forces are combat troops.

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) January 15, 2020

SPECIAL OPERATIONS TROOPS ARE COMBAT TROOPS pic.twitter.com/azgm183xjm

— Loren DeJonge Schulman (@LorenRaeDeJ) January 15, 2020

His remark came after Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said she would withdraw all combat troops from the Middle East.

Biden’s remark drew criticism online not only for drawing an inaccurate distinction between “combat troops” and “Special Forces,” but also for the suggestion that Special Forces are an unlimited resource that can be used exclusively to fight America’s wars.

Biden has faced heat during the campaign over his support for the Iraq War in 2003, as well as the Obama administration’s withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq in 2011, which was exploited by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

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