US troops in Iraq News

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper was in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, on Wednesday where he met with top Iraq officials. No doubt the talks involved damage control after the US deployed troops from Syria into western Iraq without asking Iraq's permission.

Just a few days after the US announced that US troops from Syria were being redeployed to western Iraq US Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced that instead the troops will be returning to the US after all.

US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper says that the current US plan is to send all US troops leaving Syria to be redeployed into the western part of Iraq to engage in anti-ISIS operations.

US troops have been in Iraq for most of the last sixteen years. Often relations of the Iraqi government to the troops have been defined by increases in US hostility to neighboring Iran.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has announced that some 600 additional troops will be sent to Iraq prior to a major offensive against the city of Mosul held by the Islamic State.

Baghdad - Powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr told his followers to target U.S. ground troops deploying in Iraq to help fight against the Islamic State.

Baghdad - The United States is to send more troops to Iraq. The troops will be put closer to the front lines of the battle against the Islamic State.

Washington - The U.S. Defense Department has announced that approximately 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division will be sent to Iraq in late January 2015.

Baghdad - The White House has announced that US president Barack Obama has authorised sending up to 1500 more troops to Iraq. If all 1500 are sent then the number of troops in Iraq will be doubled.

Baghdad - While the Pentagon insists that there is no mission creep in Iraq and that those already present are limited to "advisory" operations, the Obama administration continues to send more equipment and more personnel to Iraq.

Baghdad - Units of up to 300 U.S. troops have remained in Baghdad to train Iraqi security forces. They also help out in counter-terrorism operations.