On Tuesday, Carter told lawmakers the Special Forces soldiers in Syria “will aid [rebel] ground forces” but that he could not provide additional details in a public hearing.
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While the missions conducted inside Iraq will be done “at the invitation of the Iraqi government”, operations in Syria – where the established government of Bashar al Assad is opposed by U.S.-backed rebels – will be unilateral, Carter said.
“There is no need for foreign combat ground troops on Iraqi soil”, NINA news agency quoted a statement by Abadi’s office as saying.
On Wednesday, Kerry said in Brussels that “the government of Iraq was of course briefed in advance of Secretary Carter’s announcement”.
He also warned that any special operations against ISIS in Iraq “can only be deployed subject to the approval of the Iraqi Government and in coordination with the Iraqi forces and with full respect to Iraqi sovereignty”.
“We will continue to work very, very closely with our Iraqi partners on exactly who would be deployed, where they would be deployed, what kinds of missions people would undertake, how they would support Iraqi efforts to degrade and destroy ISIL”, Kerry said, using an acronym for Islamic State.
In his congressional testimony, Carter stated the commando unit will assist Iraqi forces but will also conduct direct action raids including into Syria.
“These special operators will over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence and capture ISIL leaders”, he said.
This is not “ground combat with armor and artillery and combined armed operations and death and destruction everywhere you look”, Warren said.
There now are about 3,500 US troops in Iraq.
“It will be … probably around 100, maybe a little bit less”, said Warren, a spokesman for the U.S.-led military campaign against Islamic State.
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There also was a joint raid raid carried out by US forces and Iraqi Peshmerga in October that resulted in the death of a USA service member. “The point is not numbers [of Americans on the ground]”.
