US to send 1,500 more troops to Iraq
Obama approves deployment, effectively doubling the number of American forces in the country
US President Barack Obama has approved sending up to 1,500 additional troops to Iraq to train Baghdad government and Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State group, roughly doubling the number of US troops in the country, the White House said Friday.
“As a part of our strategy for strengthening partners on the ground, President Obama today authorized the deployment of up to 1,500 additional US military personnel in a non-combat role to train, advise, and assist Iraqi Security Forces, including Kurdish forces,” it said.
Obama is also asking Congress for more than $5 billion to help fund the fight.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest says Obama has also authorized the additional personnel to operate at Iraqi military facilities outside Baghdad and Erbil. Until now, US troops have been operating a joint operation center setup with Iraqi forces there.
The announcement is part of a $5.6 billion funding request to Congress and came just after Obama met with congressional leaders Friday.
In September, the US president approved the deployment of almost 500 military personnel, which then brought the total number of US troops in the country to 1,600.