Obama Authorizes US Military To Send Up To 1,500 More Troops To Iraq

United States President Barack Obama speaks at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to highlight steps by his Administration and the private sector to improve security with more secure technologies that better se... United States President Barack Obama speaks at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to highlight steps by his Administration and the private sector to improve security with more secure technologies that better secure transactions and safeguard sensitive data, Friday, October 17, 2014 in Washington, DC. Credit: Olivier Douliery / Pool via CNP - NO WIRE SERVICE - Photo by: Olivier Douliery/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Updated: November 7, 2014, 3:13 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is authorizing the U.S. military to deploy up to 1,500 more troops to Iraq as part of the mission to combat the Islamic State group.

Obama is also asking Congress for more than $5 billion to help fund the fight.

The White House says the troops won’t serve in a combat role, but will train, advise and assist Iraqi military and Kurdish forces fighting IS.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest says Obama has also authorized the additional personnel to operate at Iraqi military facilities outside Baghdad and Erbil. Until now, U.S. troops have been operating a joint operation center setup with Iraqi forces there.

The announcement is part of a $5.6 billion funding request to Congress and came just after Obama met with congressional leaders Friday.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Latest News
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: