NEW YORK, November 5. /TASS/. US billionaire and entrepreneur Elon Musk accused Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris of lying when she claimed that no US troops are engaged in military conflicts abroad.

In an interview with US podcaster Joe Rogan, Musk stated that Harris, as Vice President, must have access to information about both officially and unofficially deployed troops in combat zones. Therefore, he argued, her statement was unequivocally false.

Earlier, Harris had said, "There is not one member of the US military in active duty in a combat zone — in any war zone around the world."

However, the US maintains a network of over 1,000 military bases worldwide, with at least 170,000 troops stationed in more than 80 countries, including significant numbers in Japan, Germany, and South Korea. According to the Pentagon, about 1,000 US troops are currently deployed in Syria, and around 2,500 are stationed in Iraq — both of which are active combat zones. Additionally, the US military presence in Syria is considered illegal, as the US occupies parts of the country’s territory.

The United States is holding its presidential election on November 5. The Democratic Party was initially expected to be represented by incumbent President Joe Biden. However, following a poor performance in the June debate with former President Donald Trump, Biden withdrew from the race and endorsed Vice President Harris, who was later formally nominated as the party’s presidential candidate at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.