THE White House announced on Wednesday, June 10 that President Barack Obama has approved sending up to 450 additional US troops to Iraq, to help fight the ongoing war against the Islamic State.
The troops will be sent to help train, advise, and assist Iraqi security forces at Taqaddum military base in eastern Anbar province.
“The President made this decision after a request from Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi and upon the recommendation of Secretary Carter and Chairman Dempsey, and with the unanimous support of his national security team,” the White House said in a statement. “These new advisors will work to build capacity of Iraqi forces, including local tribal fighters, to improve their ability to plan, lead, and conduct operations against ISIL…under the command of the Prime Minister.”
The decision comes after recent ISIS gains, most significantly the takeover of the Anbar capital of Ramadi. The President was criticized earlier this week for saying his administration still did not have a “complete strategy” for ramping up training of Iraqi troops.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) called the decision “a step in the right direction.” However, other accusations of Obama’s move remain in play. Even his former military chief of intelligence, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, said in testimony on Capitol Hill that there is “no clear US policy” in Iraq and Syria.
Obama continues to resist demands for combat troops or for more US soldiers on the ground to call in air strikes.
Under the latest plan, the number of US training sites in Iraq would increase from four to five, enabling more forces to join in the fight against the Islamic State. Most of the fighters would be Sunni tribal volunteers, under the plan.
The decision would “not represent a change in mission,” the Department of Defense stressed, but provides another location for the personnel.
The additional US troops would join the roughly 3,100 US troops already in Iraq. They are currently training about 3,000 Iraqi fighters.
“More broadly, we will continue our efforts to leverage all instruments of power to counter ISIL globally and most importantly, to protect the US Homeland,” the statement said.
(LA Weekend June 13 – 16, 2015 Sec. A pg.6)
