Hagel signs orders for more troops deploying to Iraq
Iran Press TV
Fri Dec 19, 2014 2:6PM GMT
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has approved new orders for several hundred American troops to deploy to Iraq to train and assist Iraqi forces battling the ISIL terrorists.
The Pentagon chief signed orders Wednesday as part of the White House's plan to deploy 1,500 more troops to Iraq.
Around 1,700 troops are currently in Iraq, a number that is expected to rise to about 3,000 in the next few months, according to the Pentagon.
On Thursday, US President Barack Obama spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and reiterated the US commitment to training and assisting the Iraqi military as well as launching airstrikes against the ISIL group.
Army Lt. Gen. James Terry, the top US commander for the military campaign in Iraq and Syria, said Thursday the next contingent of American forces will begin moving into Iraq in a couple of weeks.
The top commander added that it would take at least three years to build the capabilities of the Iraqi forces.
Obama and other senior officials have repeatedly said that American troops would not engage in combat operations against ISIL militants.
Media reports, citing Iraqi Kurdistan's Shafaq News, suggested Wednesday that American forces had engaged in direct ground combat with ISIL militants in Iraq, the first of such encounter.
The Pentagon, however, refused to confirm the reports.
HRJ/HRJ
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