President Barack Obama has approved the deployment of additional U.S. troops to aid the struggling war effort in Baghdad. However, the troops will not be sent to the front lines—their primary objective is simply to support the Iraqi forces, who have lost valuable ground to advancing Islamic State insurgents.
The deployment of the additional troops will strengthen the war effort amid the turbulent, volatile situation in the Middle East. The relatively small number of troops being sent over—and the President's insistence on a limited U.S. military role in the conflict—will probably fail to silence critics who believe America should take a more active role in the fighting, according to Reuters.
Nevertheless, U.S. officials hope a fortified American presence on the ground in Anbar province will help Iraqi forces retake areas that were lost to Islamic State fighters, especially the provincial capital, Ramadi, reported ABC News.
A statement from the White House described the United States' stance and reasons behind the deployment of additional troops: "To improve the capabilities and effectiveness of partners on the ground, the president authorized the deployment of up to 450 additional U.S. military personnel to train, advise and assist Iraqi security forces at Taqaddum military base in eastern Anbar province."
The fall of Ramadi, despite the U.S. presence, generated a number of harsh criticisms about the way the Obama administration has been handling the conflict in the Middle East, with U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter stating that Iraqi forces have showed "no will to fight," according to Reuters.
Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser, believes that the deployment of the additional troops is a valuable step to create an effective strategy against the Islamic State fighters. "The president has made it clear that he will look at a range of different options," he said. "Our overriding focus here is making sure that there is Iraqi capacity on the ground."
