Obama Sending up to 450 More Troops to Iraq


(MENAFN- QNA) US President Barack Obama is sending up to 450 more US troops to Iraq's Anbar province.

The deployment follows last month's fall of Ramadi, Anbar's provincial capital, to Daesh, and Baghdad's appeals for help, the (Sky News) reported on Thursday.

The White House said the personnel would "train, advise, and assist" Iraqi forces, but would not take a combat role.

They will follow nearly 3,100 US troops who are already in Iraq with similar support roles.

The White House said that the troops will be sent to the Taqaddum desert air base in eastern Anbar, bringing the number of US training sites in Iraq to five.

"These new advisers will work to build capacity of Iraqi forces, including local tribal fighters, to improve their ability to plan, lead, and conduct operations against Daesh in eastern Anbar under the command of the prime minister," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

The US is also flying bombing missions, as well as aerial reconnaissance against Daesh forces.


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