John Kerry said it would take between 15,000 to 30,000 ground troops to maintain a ‘safe zone’ inside northern Syria. Citing previously unheard of Pentagon estimates, the Secretary of State asked a Senate panel today: “Now are we ready to authorize that?” ABC7 News reports: Although a ceasefire is planned for this coming Saturday, there are growing calls within Washington for a so-called “Plan-B”: options for military action if the truce fails. Many Republicans, including Donald Trump, are calling for a “safe zone” in northern Syria to protect the increasing number of displaced people. Kerry said today that creating a safe zone isn’t as simple as it sounds. In addition to controlling the airspace, Kerry said, a large troop presence would be required to shield the population from ISIS attacks on the ground. “All this talk about safe zones does not go through the process of what it really means,” Kerry said. “Our Pentagon estimates that to have a true safe zone in the north of the country you may have upwards of fifteen to thirty thousand troops. Now are we ready to authorize that? Are we ready to put them on the ground?” Aside from the inherent physical and [...]