Pentagon: ‘We’re in combat’ in Iraq
“We will not be sending U.S. troops back into combat in Iraq.” – President Obama, June 13, 2014 “As I have said before, these American forces [in Iraq] will not have a combat mission.” – President Obama, Sept. 10, 2014 About 3,300 U.S. troops are now stationed in Iraq, where they are helping local forces battle the extremist group. Over both Iraq […]Missy Ryan reports for the Washington Post:
“We will not be sending U.S. troops back into combat in Iraq.” – President Obama, June 13, 2014 “As I have said before, these American forces [in Iraq] will not have a combat mission.” – President Obama, Sept. 10, 2014 About 3,300 U.S. troops are now stationed in Iraq, where they are helping local forces battle the extremist group. Over both Iraq and Syria, U.S. planes have been flying bombing and surveillance missions for over a year.
In keeping with Obama’s promises to keep U.S. troops out of another prolonged ground war in the Middle East, the Pentagon has given American troops a limited mission in Iraq, consisting primarily of advising local forces and rebuilding the country’s hollowed-out army. While U.S. forces are not confined to bases, officials say, their mission is very different from that of the 2003-11 war, when U.S. troops fought — often house by house — to end a powerful insurgency.
