It will be the first major increase in American forces in Iraq in almost a year. Until now the advisers have been with larger units far behind the lines The move could leave US advisers more vulnerable to enemy mortar and artillery fire.
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The United States will send more troops to Iraq, potentially putting them closer to the front lines to advise Iraqi forces in the war against Islamic State militants.
Carter made clear that the deployments are part of a generalized escalation of the United States wars in Iraq and Syria, continuing into the indefinite future.
Alongside the additional troops, Apache attack helicopters will be deployed for the first time against ISIL in Iraq.
Apaches, meanwhile, will be able to provide vital close air support that will be key in helping Iraqi forces dislodge Daesh.
Carter’s announcement Monday came after several meetings with his commanders and Iraqi leaders about how the USA can best prepare Iraqi forces to retake Mosul.
With coalition help, the Iraqi security forces “can have momentum, particularly as they move on to Mosul”, Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said on Monday.
The decision was called inadequate by Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Obama’s opponent in the 2008 election.
The city fell to ISIS in the summer of 2014 after Iraqi army soldiers abandoned their posts, allowing the jihadists to claim vast amounts of territory inside Iraq and Syria.
“Everyone knows the fight of Iraq is the fight for Mosul”, a senior USA defense official said. The Iraqis declined the offer. “These forces have been among the most effective in the fight against ISIL and will be critical in the retaking of Mosul”, Allen said, using another name for ISIS.
Carter on Tuesday will travel to Saudi Arabia to meet with defense ministers from Gulf nations. Retaking the city, which has been occupied by the Islamic State for almost two years, is expected to be a hard battle that may take months.
President Obama has approved an increase of the authorized troop level in Iraq by 217 – or from 3,870 to 4,087, the Associated Press reported.
Raising the Iraqi flag in Mosul would be a symbolic victory for the government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, facing a political crisis, and for the White House, which is seeking to deal a decisive blow to the Islamic State before President Barack Obama leaves office. Earlier, Obama had been saying that Mosul would fall this year.
The decision comes as Iraqi forces have begun preliminary operations to retake Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city.
The money for the Kurds signals the U.S confidence in the fighters, who continue to battle the Islamic State as Iraq has struggled to rebuild its military.
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Lahur Talabani, director of the Kurdish Regional Government’s intelligence agency, tweeted, “We thank the USA government for their commitment & support to our fearless peshmerga forces who have been fighting ISIS on the world’s behalf”. Al-Abadi’s efforts to get a new Cabinet in place met resistance, and influential Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr issued a deadline on Saturday, giving parliament 72 hours to vote in a new Cabinet. Meanwhile, Islamic State’s income and the population under its control have both fallen by about a third, a US-based analysis firm said, describing the declining revenue as a threat to its long-term rule over its self-proclaimed caliphate.
