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Iraq wants more U.S. troops ahead of Mosul battle against IS

Xinhua, September 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Wednesday said the Iraqi government asked for more U.S. troops as trainers and advisers to help liberate the last major Islamic State (IS) stronghold in Mosul.

"U.S. President Barack Obama was consulted on a request by the Iraqi government for a final increase in the number of U.S. trainers and advisers under the umbrella of the international coalition in Iraq to provide support for the Iraqi security forces," Abadi said in a statement issued by his office.

However, Abadi stressed that the role of the trainers and advisers is not combating, and that those who will liberate the land are only Iraqi forces, the statement said, adding that the "number of trainers and advisers will be reduced immediately after the liberation of Mosul."

About 4,400 U.S. troops are currently in Iraq, a number expected to increase before the battles in Mosul, located some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions. Endit