More troops in Iraq than formerly announced: US official
There are hundreds of more American troops in Iraq than formerly declared by Pentagon, a US official says.
As part of a so-called war on Daesh Takfiri terrorists, Pentagon had announced there were 3,500 US forces on ground in Iraq to allegedly train and equip local security forces, AFP reported Wednesday.
That tally has now been increased to 3,870.
US Army Colonel Steve Warren, stationed in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, went even further, saying it was "fair to say" that there are hundreds more troops than even that figure, arguing, it is part of the natural rotation of incoming and outgoing forces.
"There's that continuous churn of people coming in, checking on things and moving out," Warren told Pentagon reporters in a video call. "Additionally, there's personnel here that are part of a turnover. So there's always going to be some overage there."
Apart from the boots on the ground, the United States and its allies have been conducting airstrikes in Iraq and Syria allegedly to target ISIL positions.
The Daesh terrorists, who were initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government, now control large parts of Iraq and Syria.
Meanwhile, Russia has stepped up its military campaign against militants fighting the Syrian government. Moscow has carried out scores of airstrikes and killed hundreds of terrorists there.
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