Iraqi leaders, said the official, back the addition of more USA troops if they directly coincide with specific capabilities that Iraq forces needs to fight IS and take back Mosul.
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US Defense Secretary Ash Carter made the announcement on Monday during a visit to Baghdad during which he met US commanders, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and Iraqi Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi.
Because of Iraq’s internal politics, and pressure from Iran not to appear overly-reliant on US support, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abad has in the past rejected the use of Apaches to back up Iraqi Security Forces in such actions as the retaking of Ramadi in Anbar province earlier this year.
Obama will increase the number of USA forces that commanders can use in Iraq by 217, to 4,087.
The new USA troops will consist of advisers, trainers, aviation support crew, and security forces. For the first time, the advisers are authorized to assist the Iraqis at battalion level, meaning with smaller Iraq combat units likely to be closer to the front lines.
Ayham Khazaal, who worked for the “Sama al-Mosul” local TV channel, and his brother were accused of spying for the global coalition against IS and for the Iraqi security forces, Musill said. The official was not authorized to discuss the numbers publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.
At that time, the Iraqis turned down a US offer to provide Apache helicopters. However, the actual number of USA troops in Iraq has routinely exceeded 5,000 for the last several months due to overlaps in troop rotations and the deployment of personnel on temporary assignments that do not count against the official total, according to US military spokesmen. The total does not include another estimated 1,000 US troops who are in the country but are not part of the Pentagon’s official count, including special operations forces, some logisticians, troops on temporary duty and forces who are rotating in to replace departing forces.
The IS began selecting women of Mosul and forced them into marrying its militants, calling it temporary marriage since it has taken control over Mosul, and the women who refused to submit to this practice would be executed, said Kurdish Democratic Party spokesman Said Mamuzini. Obama said the US strategy of helping the Iraqi government with training and airstrikes is helping counter the Islamic State insurgency.
“The U.S. -led coalition has used the Al Dhafra Air Base for airstrikes against Islamic State, as well as for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance missions”.
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. McCain, an Arizona Republican, has long pressed Obama to send more United States troops and authorize them to play a more direct role in fighting the terrorist group.
General Sean MacFarland, commander of the US-led operation against ISIS, later told reporters travelling with Mr Carter that the United States had not ruled out sending further troops at a later stage if the current boost proves insufficient.
The next phase of the war against the Islamic State – focusing on Mosul – has been coordinated with Kurdish and Iraqi leaders, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced. Obama was on his way Tuesday to Saudi Arabia to encourage Gulf Arab countries to contribute more to the battle in Iraq.
In June, President Barack Obama’s administration announced that hundreds of troops would be deployed to help the Iraqis retake Ramadi – a goal they accomplished at the end of the year. Iraqi officials predict a budget deficit of more than $30 billion this year.
The reports come days after US -based consultancy firm IHS reported that ISIL’s income has dropped by 30 percent over the past year.
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Kilis – the only town in Turkey where refugees from the war in Syria now outnumber Turkish locals – has been repeatedly hit by rocket fire from areas in Syria controlled by Islamic State (IS) jihadists in recent weeks.
