US Defense Secretary: US To Send Extra Troops To Iraq
MEP: US Defense Secretary Ash Carter during his unannounced visit to Iraq’s capital Baghdad on Monday said that his country will send more troops to Iraq forces in the upcoming offensive against the Takfiri Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) terrorist’s stronghold of Mosul.
Carter made the announcement in a meeting with U.S. commanders, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi.
Most of the 560 additional troops will work out of Qayara air base, which Iraqi forces recaptured from Daesh militants and plan to use as a staging ground for an offensive to retake Mosul, Iraq’s second biggest city.
Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said that the additional troops will “predominantly” be assigned to the newly recaptured air base, installing everything from additional security measures to communications gear. Qayara air base is considered an important springboard to take back the city of Mosul, which is the de facto capital of Daesh in Iraq and about 40 miles north of the airfield.
With these new reinforcements, the US will have about 4,650 troops in Iraq, two years after returning to the country to fight Daesh. If US commanders require more troops, Carter said he would “ask the president for them.”
“The additional troops will also bring unique capabilities to the campaign and provide critical enabler support to Iraqi forces at a key moment in the fight,” Carter said, adding, “The additional troops will provide a range of support for Iraqi security forces, including infrastructure and logistical capabilities at the airfield near Qayara”.
