Pentagon to send nearly 600 more US troops to Iraq

Nearly 600 more US troops will be dispatched to Iraq in coming weeks to reinforce Iraqi government forces to take back the city of Mosul from the Islamic State (IS), Pentagon announced on Wednesday.

Currently there are some 4,647 US soldiers authorised to deploy in Iraq. The additional forces will enhance the authorised level to about 5,200, Xinhua news agency reported.

These troops will not spearhead the attack, said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook. Instead, they will provide logistics support, training and advice for the Iraqi forces.

The Iraqi governmental forces also got Apache attack helicopters and a HIMARS rocket system. Large amounts of funding were sent to the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, local media reported, quoting Pentagon sources as saying that an offensive in Mosul might begin in October.

Earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met privately with US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, seeking for more logistics support from Pentagon.