Remember the Iraq War? More U.S. Combat Troops Are Heading Back to the Fight
Remember the Iraq War? More U.S. Combat Troops Are Heading Back to the Fight
BY PAUL MCLEARYDECEMBER 1, 2015 - 11:04 AM
For the first time since U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic State began some 16 months ago, the U.S. is openly sending in ground combat troops. In an acknowledgement that the fight against the militants has yet to significantly dent the group’s power, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday that the Pentagon would send a “specialized expeditionary targeting force” of elite troops to Iraq with freedom to operate inside Syria as well.
The new teams of U.S. Special Operations forces drawn from elite units like the Navy SEALs “will over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence, and capture ISIL leaders,” Carter said, using an alternate name for the Islamic State. Carter said that the raids in Iraq will be “focused on defending its borders and building the [Iraqi Security Forces] own capacity. This force will also be in a position to conduct unilateral operations into Syria.”
The defense chief added that the deployment comes “on President [Barack] Obama’s orders and the chairman’s and my advice,” referring to Marine General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Carter didn’t specify how many troops would be deployed, or when.
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The death of Master Sgt. Joshua L. Wheeler, 39, marked the first American combat death in Iraq since the U.S. withdrawal in 2011.
There are already about 3,500 U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq training Iraqi troops, and about 50 Special Operations troops are on their way to Syria in the coming weeks to assist Syrian rebels plan missions and pinpoint Islamic State targets. The new deployment will push that total higher, but no numbers have been provided yet...
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http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/12/01/remember-the-iraq-war-more-u-s-combat-troops-are-heading-back-to-the-fight/
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