(CNN) The US currently has approximately 2,000 troops in Syria on an ongoing basis, mainly special operations forces, according to several defense officials.

Publicizing the number of US troops in Syria has been a sensitive matter for months, due to security concerns. But as coalition fighters have gained more ground from ISIS, and there has been more congressional pressure for transparency, the Pentagon is preparing to discuss the numbers more openly in the coming days, officials say.

Defense Secretary James Mattis had indicated he was working on a policy to openly acknowledge the approximate number of troops deployed but would not be unduly specific.

Underscoring the confusion about how many troops are deployed to fight ISIS, the Pentagon had for months said only about 500 troops were in Syria. Then a recently published manpower statistics report publicly available on the Pentagon website said there were 1,547 troops there.

Adding to the confusion, officials say the DOD manpower report is not as accurate as it should be because it may include troops who are in the country for very short periods of time, or units that are about to leave.

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