Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Obama sending 450 more troops to Iraq in face of Isis offensive

Additional troops will train Iraqi forces as Isis has mounted a successful offensiv

Payton Guion
Wednesday 10 June 2015 19:44 BST
Comments
(Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

The US will send as many as 450 additional troops to Iraq in the face of an aggressive Isis offensive that has seen the Islamic militants take control of large swaths of territory in that country.

The additional troops are not being sent to join ground forces in Iraq, but instead will be used to help train more Iraqi soldiers to fight Isis, the Associated Press reported. The White House said it would open another US training site in Iraq, bringing the total number of facilities to five.

President Barack Obama reportedly made the decision to bring extra troops to Iraq after speaking with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his military advisors.

The president continues to resist calls from Iraqi leadership to send in soldiers to join the fight on the group or for more soldiers to call in air strikes.

Follow @PaytonGuion on Twitter.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in