Carter said last week that the US was prepared to provide U.S.-piloted Apache attack helicopters and American advisers closer to the fight to assist Iraqi forces pushing towards Ramadi, but only if Iraq made such request.
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This is while the country has been implicated in supporting the terror group, in part, by allowing them to cross into Syria.
“During this deployment, a bilateral agreement was finalized that outlined the procedures for combat air patrol missions to be flown by US pilots and aircraft”, EUCOM said. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules.
Nujaifi said the Turkish trainers have been there since March a year ago and numbered about 100.
Ten thousand members of the Iraqi security forces surround Ramadi, but United States officials have expressed frustration at how long it has taken Iraqi security forces to take back the city.
But the Iraqi government demanded the “complete withdrawal” of Turkish forces from its territory, indicating Ankara’s partial pullout was not enough.
Carter said earlier, at the start of his trip to the Middle East, that he would be speaking to commanders to “get their latest reading on the battlefield situation and also very importantly their thinking about ways that we can continue to accelerate the campaign to defeat ISIL”.
The U.S. European Command stressed that the end of F-15 deployments does not indicate a reduction in operations against Daesh.
The attack comes days after Turkey was forced to remove reinforcements it had sent to the camp by Baghdad, reported ABC News.
Carter, who on Tuesday visited a Turkish base that has develop into a key hub for air raids towards the jihadists, met Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi. This week, in a call with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Vice President Biden urged that the troops be withdrawn.
“That does not mean that they won’t make a difference some time in the future”, Carter said.
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The U.S. expects to deliver equipment to Peshmerga fighters who will assist in the retaking of Mosul, arranging for shipment of the equivalent of two brigades worth of arms and ammunition to be used for the “encirclement” of Mosul, Mr. Carter said. A USA defense official said the Pentagon intends to replace six of the departing F-15s with a like number of additional A-10s.
