Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced the escalation – a boost of more than 10% in USA forces deployed in Iraq – during a visit Monday to Baghdad to meet with senior Iraq officials and US commanders and troops. But that tally doesn’t include special operations forces and temporary deployments that bring the total to more than 5,000.
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The recapture of Mosul, Islamic State’s de facto Iraqi capital from which its leader declared a modern-day caliphate in 2014, would be a major boost for Abadi and USA plans to weaken IS, which has staged attacks in the West and inspired others. The new American forces should arrive in the coming weeks.
On the flight to the Iraqi capital, Carter discussed the seizure of the strategically important Qarayyah airfield from ISIS, saying that Iraqi forces’ control of the installation will likely lead to the establishment of a logistics hub, which would provide Iraqi troops with USA support.
US officials said a team of American troops went into Qayara for a quick site assessment Sunday and left.
One potential job is helping Iraqi troops use highly technical bridging capabilities to get across the river into Mosul. Carter was also to meet with United States troops, of whom there are now about 4,000 in Iraq, mainly to train local forces. “Secretary Carter has just acknowledged the reality that the U.S.is playing the long game here-and that we will continue to quietly ramp up USA troop strength one step at a time to achieve whatever it takes to defeat ISIS across the region”.
“The war against ISIS and Islamic extremists can not be won by inches”, the Texas Republican said.
The Pentagon chief will be in Iraq only for a day, meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi, as well as the US Liutenant-General Sean MacFarland, in charge of Operation Inherent Resolve.
IS also holds territory in neighbouring Syria, but has lost significant ground in both countries, and Carter wanted to highlight successes, even as the jihadists have struck back with devastating attacks in Iraq and overseas.
The IS convoy was such a tempting target that the United States coalition sent all of its air assets there on June 28, leaving the Pentagon-backed “New Syrian Army” rebels without air cover and support in the middle of a push on the IS stronghold of Bukamal, the Washington Post reported last Wednesday.
Despite recent battlefield successes, the Islamic State still controls large parts of Iraq.
Four days later, the jihadists struck a Shiite shrine north the capital, leaving another 40 dead.
A member of the Iraqi security forces stands guard at the site of a auto bomb attack in Rashidiya, a district north of Baghdad, Iraq on July 12, 2016.
The White House would like to capture Mosul and deal a decisive blow to the militants before Obama leaves office in January.
Iraqi officials say they will move the headquarters for the liberation of Mosul to Al-Qayarra, and its airstrip will bring Iraqi and coalition aircraft that much closer to the city.
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Mosul is now the only major city in the country the Iraqis do not control, and the Islamic State has not seized any substantial new territory since May 2015.
