US may deploy Special Forces to Iraq

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) U.S. President Obama is reportedly considering a deployment of up to 100 special forces troops to advise and train Iraqi troops to fight ISIL, the al-Qaeda inspired group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Syria).

The Associated Press, citing three U.S. officials, reported on Tuesday that the White House was considering the option. According to the report “It’s not clear how quickly the special forces could arrive in Iraq. It’s also unknown whether they would remain in Baghdad or be sent to the nation’s north, where the Sunni Muslim insurgency Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) has captured large swaths of territory ringing Baghdad, the capital of the Shiite-led government.”

The troops would fall under the authority of the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad and would not be authorized to engage in combat, another U.S. official said. Their mission would be “non-operational training” of both regular and counter-terrorism units, which the military has in the past interpreted to mean training on military bases, the official said.

The White House would not confirm that special operations forces were under consideration. But National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said that while Obama would not send troops back into combat, “He has asked his national security team to prepare a range of other options that could help support Iraqi security forces.”

Meanwhile, as IraqiNews.com reported yesterday, U.S Marine Guards have arrived in Baghdad to “provide support and security for U.S. personnel and the U.S. Embassy,” according to a White House statement.