Five Months After Obama States “No US Troops in Iraq,” President Asks Congress to Pay to Double Forces

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Five months after US President Barack Obama stated that America would not send troops to fight the Islamic State in Iraq, the president has approved a plan to double the number of US boots on the ground, and has asked Congress to fund it.

“We can’t do it for them,” said Obama in June, ruling out sending US combat troops into Iraq. “We’re not going to allow ourselves to be dragged back into a situation in which, while we’re there we’re keeping a lid on things, and after enormous sacrifices by us, after we’re not there, people start acting in ways that are not conducive to the long-term stability and prosperity of the country.”

Last week, Obama approved a plan to double US troops in Iraq to 3,100, asking Congress for an additional $5 billion to fund the mission. After one month of almost daily US airstrikes against IS militants, Obama continues to state that the “American forces that have been deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission.”

The White House maintains that their actions in Iraq are to “degrade and destroy” IS, and forces sent are aid to Iraqi and Kurdish forces–which are fighting IS. The new troops will also not be used in a combat role, according to the Pentagon.

However, no additional troops will be sent to Iraq if Congress does not authorize the $5 billion dollar expense, the White House has said.

US troops in Iraq are currently training Iraqi forces, but this training is expected to take around a year. If Congress approves the bill, it will take three months to select training sites, and the regimen will last six to seven months. The Iraqi forces will continue to fight IS throughout the training.

By Eli Ramos