Islamic State crisis: US to send 1,500 more troops to Iraq

The US is to send 1,500 more non-combat troops to Iraq to boost Iraqi forces fighting Islamic State (IS) militants, the White House says.

The Pentagon said the troops would train and assist Iraqi forces.

President Barack Obama authorised the deployment following a request from Iraq's government, the Pentagon added.

IS militants control large areas of Iraq and Syria but have been targeted by hundreds of air strikes by a US-led coalition since August.

The 1,500 additional US troops will join several hundred military advisers that are already in Iraq to assist the country's army.

A statement from the Pentagon said the troops would be establishing several sites to train nine Iraqi army and three Kurdish Peshmerga brigades.

The US military would also be setting up two "advise and assist operations centres" outside Baghdad and the northern city of Irbil, the statement added.

"US troops will not be in combat, but they will be better positioned to support Iraqi security forces as they take the fight" to IS, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters.

Read More: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29961084

-- BBC 2014-11-08

Just a few days after the election. What a shocking coincidence.

We have already trained the Iraq army

This is Amazing Obama is fighting against more Muslims than Bush

Obama shall as well as the next President ever leave Iraq

Is Obama controlled by Anti Muslims groups in America or does he just hates them?

1,500 US troops should be able to handle 15,000 maniac muslims. Easy breezy.

We have already trained the Iraq army

True, yet US was unable to assist in resolving morale issues, no pay, sectarianism, poor quality of officers etc as couldn't agree a renewed Status of Forces Agreement with Maliki

After the IS attacks on Iraq, I think it was Dempsey who said out of fifty Iraqi battalions, half of them are useless for re-training & deployment due to Shiite sectarianism and unacceptable risks to the non-Shiite civilian population.

We have already trained the Iraq army

True, yet US was unable to assist in resolving morale issues, no pay, sectarianism, poor quality of officers etc as couldn't agree a renewed Status of Forces Agreement with Maliki

After the IS attacks on Iraq, I think it was Dempsey who said out of fifty Iraqi battalions, half of them are useless for re-training & deployment due to Shiite sectarianism and unacceptable risks to the non-Shiite civilian population.

Dempsey lied.

He should have said 95% of them.

There was something on BBC earlier this morning claiming the IS leadership were dead. I can't find a link as yet.

Edit changed search from IS to ISIS

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29969989

Leader critically wounded.

US to send 1,500 more troops to Iraq

Simultaneously, I'm sure somebody else in the region is sending in more money, arms and advisors, as agents of disruption.

Watching western nations landing on the fly paper is what these people excell at from their luxurious air conditioned palaces.

What's the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again............?