Obama to Send 475 Additional Troops to Iraq

Local Editor

US President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that he will be sending in 475 additional US troops to Iraq, bringing the total of US troops in the country to about 1,600.

According to what the Pentagon says, the new troops will advise and assist the Iraqi Security Forces in order to help them go on offense against so-called "Daesh" [ISIL], conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance [ISR] flights, and coordinate US military activities across Iraq.

US War Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a statement, "President Obama laid out a strong, comprehensive strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL, and the United States military is prepared to carry out its responsibilities in this counter-"terrorism" campaign."

"The men and women of the US Armed Forces are ready to carry out the orders of our Commander-in-Chief, to work with our partners across government, and to work with our friends and allies around the world to accomplish this mission," he said.

The troops will deploy over the next week or so, said Pentagon Press Secretary Adm. John Kirby in a statement on Wednesday.

Those supporting the ISR mission will deploy to the city of Erbil, and replace some of the unmanned assets already in the region.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team