President Obama
announced Tuesday he is sending approximately 350 additional military personnel
to Iraq to protect U.S. diplomatic facilities and workers in Baghdad.
The White House said
in a press release that the personnel will not serve a combat role, and are
fulfilling a request from the State Department for more protection as the
country fights an insurgency from the Islamic State militant group, also known
as ISIS or ISIL.
The White House said
the additional personnel will be able to provide a “more robust, sustainable
security force” and will allow previously deployed personnel to leave the
country.
Pentagon Press
Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a statement that Obama's
authorization will result in a net increase of approximately 350 military
personnel. Kirby said 405 personnel will be sent to Baghdad, and 55 will leave,
leading to the net increase.
Additionally, the
White House said the U.S. is continuing to support the Iraqi government against
the terror group, which it says “poses a threat not only to Iraq, but to the
broader Middle East and U.S. personnel and interests in the region.”
“The president will
be consulting this week with NATO allies regarding additional actions to take
against ISIL and to develop a broad-based international coalition to implement
a comprehensive strategy to protect our people and to support our partners in
the fight against ISIL,” the release stated.
According to Kirby,
the latest deployment means the number of U.S. forces responsible for providing
security support in Baghdad will total approximately 820.
Defense officials
told Fox News that once the latest forces arrive, the total number of U.S.
troops in Iraq will be 1,213.
The announcement came
after U.S. military officials said Tuesday that an airstrike against Islamic
State militants in Iraq had damaged or destroyed 16 armed vehicles near the
Mosul Dam.
In a statement from
U.S. Central Command, officials said an airstrike conducted Monday in northern
Iraq involved fighters and attack aircraft.
By Central Command's
count, that's the 124th airstrike in Iraq since operations against the Islamic
State group began in early August.
The Associated Press
contributed to this report.
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