US may send combat troops to Iraq

Washington, Nov 14 (IANS/EFE) The United States may send a "modest" number of combat troops to Iraq to accompany Iraqi forces in operations against the Islamic State (IS), the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday.

Iraqi security forces could find themselves confronted with more complex missions that would require the presence of US troops, Gen. Martin Dempsey told the House Armed Services Committee during a joint appearance with Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel.

The current focus of the Iraqi military and its militia allies is evicting IS from Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, and restoring Baghdad's control of territory along the Syrian border.

"I'm not predicting at this point that those forces in Mosul and along the border would need to be accompanied by US forces, but we're certainly considering it," Dempsey said during Thursday's hearing.

The chairman said any deployment of combat troops to Iraq would be "modest," in line with President Barack Obama's view that Iraqi and Kurdish forces should take the lead in the fight.

"I just don't see it in our interest to take this fight on ourselves with a large military contingent," Dempsey said.

--IANS/EFE

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