Obama Sends 350 More Troops To Iraq After ISIS Beheads Second American

The White House announced the troop deployment Tuesday. The new personnel will be part of a now 820-person force providing U.S. diplomatic security.
















Department of Defense / Via Facebook: DeptofDefense











The new deployment is a response to requests from the State Department and is intended to "protect our diplomatic facilities and personnel in Baghdad," the White House said in a news release:



Today, the President authorized the Department of Defense to fulfill a Department of State request for approximately 350 additional U.S. military personnel to protect our diplomatic facilities and personnel in Baghdad, Iraq. This action was taken at the recommendation of the Department of Defense after an extensive interagency review, and is part of the President's commitment to protect our personnel and facilities in Iraq as we continue to support the Government of Iraq in its fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). These additional forces will not serve in a combat role.

The President has made clear his commitment to doing whatever is required to provide the necessary security for U.S. personnel and facilities around the world. The request he approved today will allow some previously deployed military personnel to depart Iraq, while at the same time providing a more robust, sustainable security force for our personnel and facilities in Baghdad.

In addition to our efforts to protect our personnel, we will continue to support the Government of Iraq's efforts to counter ISIL, which 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. As part of this effort, Secretary Kerry, Secretary Hagel, and President Obama's counterterrorism advisor, Lisa Monaco, will be traveling separately to the region in the near-term to build a stronger regional partnership.
















A total of 405 new people are headed to Iraq, while 55 who are already there will be reassigned, resulting in a net increase of 350 troops, according to the Department of Defense. That will bring the total number of diplomatic security personnel in Iraq to 820.

The White House also said Tuesday it will continue supporting Iraq's efforts to fight the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS), which has taken over large swaths land in the north of the country.
























AP Photo/Militant Website, File




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