more boots on the ground

robert99

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US considering additional 250 military advisors to train rebel groups in Syria
In an effort to advise Syrian rebel groups and boos the impact of operations against the Islamic State (ISIS), Washington is considering sending another 250 special forces troops.

"The purpose of sending the additional US troops is to train the ground local forces to reclaim areas still held by ISIS, including Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq," CNN quoted an unidentified US defense official as saying.

"If approved, these troops would grow the current U.S. Special Operations effort of up to 50 troops authorized to be in Syria. They are there to provide advice and assistance to moderate Syrian forces fighting ISIS," CNN reported the official as saying.

US officials had earlier said that the proposed increase would be “just a few dozen” because of the need to provide additional support forces such as aviation and intelligence.

Earlier this week US President Barack Obama reportedly said in a meeting with top commanders that the military must “keep on putting the pressure” on ISIS to degrade the group’s ability to operate “headquarters” in the Syrian city of Raqqa or Mosul in Iraq.
US may open new firebase in Iraq, says senior military official
The United States military could open up a second forward operating base near Mosul in Iraq if need be, a senior US military official told reporters on Wednesday.

"As Iraqi security forces progress towards isolating Mosul, there may be a situation, in which there is another base that is opened or reopened from years passed that could be used in the same manner as a fire support base," the Joint Vice Director for Operations Rear Admiral Andrew Lewis said in a press briefing.

The US already have a firebase manned by about 200 Marines on the Makhmour front against Islamic State (ISIS), its purpose is to give heavy artillery fire support to Iraqi soldiers, militiamen and Kurdish Peshmerga forces advancing against ISIS.

One US Marine was killed in an ISIS rocket attack on the base last month, an incident which revealed its hitherto disclosed existence.
 
Carter says additional US forces in Iraq are an 'important move'
The US has agreed to deploy more than 200 additional troops to Iraq and to send Apache helicopters for the first time into the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq, the first major increase in US forces in nearly a year.

Speaking to US troops at the airport in Baghdad, Defense Secretary Ash Carter also said that the US will send an additional rocket-assisted artillery system to Iraq.

The uptick in American fighting forces - and the decision to put them closer to the front lines - is designed to help Iraqi forces retake the key northern city of Mosul, and to help retake Raqqa, the extremist's group self-proclaimed capital in Syria.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/04/18/world/middleeast/18reuters-mideast-crisis-carter-iraq.html
 
Obama rules out ground troops for Syria - Syria conflict: Obama rules out ground troops for Syria - BBC News
Somebody has n't told him everything! :D
"Mr Obama and the UN fear a fragile truce between the government forces and non-jihadist rebels, in place since February, is in danger of collapse amid renewed clashes.

Current talks in Geneva between the Syrian government and opposition delegations will continue into next week, but there have been bitter exchanges.

The Syrian opposition delegation, known as the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), and rebel forces inside Syria have accused the government of repeatedly violating the terms of the truce brokered by the US and Russia.

The HNC said the Syrian government was "not a serious partner" while the government hit back by accusing the HNC of "sulking"."
 
and somebody tells Obama ...
Syria conflict: Obama 'to send 250 more non-combat troops' - BBC News
From Sep 11, 2014
What 475 New US Troops Headed to Iraq Won't Do
The 475 additional US military personnel headed to Iraq this week will assist Iraqi security forces as they take the offensive against ISI fighters. They will be posted at Iraqi military headquarters to help coordinate military planning but will not see front-line action, according to U.S. officials.

The new deployment to Iraq announced by President Obama Wednesday night will increase the number of U.S. military forces in that country to about 1,600. The U.S. first began sending U.S. military personnel to Iraq in June shortly after ISIS militants seized control of Mosul and large areas of northern Iraq.

Another 125 personnel will support the operation of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance flights from Erbil in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. Kirby said the aircrews and military personnel being sent there will support "manned and armed ISR platforms" that will fly from a base in Erbil.

From 2 March 2016 - US Claims Special Forces Captured ‘Significant’ ISIS Member in Erbil in Iraq
"According to US Army Colonel Steve Warren, there are now more than 3,800 US forces on the ground in Iraq to "train and equip" local security forces against foreign-backed militants."
 
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... and the Iranians don't approve PressTV-US deploying 250 more troops to Syria
""The president has authorized a series of steps to increase support for our partners in the region, including Iraqi security forces as well as local Syrian forces who are taking the fight to ISIL," said the official, referring to Daesh terrorists, who were initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government."
The US training, equiping and funding Muslim extremists to fight a government? Naah ... never happen (ssh! don't mention Afghanistan).:innocent:
 
The ME situation must be more difficult than ever for the US these days. They probably can't put a substantial number of troops there again because of domestic resistance to the idea, as well as the risk it will generate even more anti-US resentment and support for islamist extremism.

They also have to consider Russia's increasing influence and be careful not to step on their toes so as not to escalate the ongoing conflict with them.

And then there is the situation in Iraq where relations between sunnis and shiites are strained, and there is always the danger if civil war even with IS removed.
 
What are Americans fighting for in Syria? Against IS or Assad or both or ... what?
It's simple. They're fighting against ISIS, but not against Assad, although they do happen to incidentally support groups that oppose Assad, but only because these same groups oppose ISIS. They support the Kurdish groups, but only in Syria and Iraq, not in Turkey or elsewhere, because the moment they cross the border into Turkey they become terrorists. The US is part of a broad democratic coalition with Saudi Arabia and other democratic Gulf nations.
 
It's simple. They're fighting against ISIS, but not against Assad, although they do happen to incidentally support groups that oppose Assad, but only because these same groups oppose ISIS. They support the Kurdish groups, but only in Syria and Iraq, not in Turkey or elsewhere, because the moment they cross the border into Turkey they become terrorists. The US is part of a broad democratic coalition with Saudi Arabia and other democratic Gulf nations.
Do I laugh or do I cry? democratic?
So ... WikiLeaks: US Sought Syria Regime Change For Israel’s Sake (and WikiLeaks - Hillary Clinton Email Archive ) and the "moderate rebels" the US supported are now ... ?
 
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US BOOTS: US Marines Deployed For Ground Combat in Iraq (to defend oil fields)
Even as Pentagon officials have sought to emphasize their claims of ISIS being “on the run,” ever more US ground troops are being deployed into Iraq to try to cope with ISIS offensives, with the battle of Makhmur leading to the introduction of US Marines in front-line combat roles.

Officials are trying to downplay the operation as “force protection” for Iraqi ground troops, who have been massing in the area in an effort to ultimately launch an attack on the ISIS-held city of Mosul, not far away.
The explanation is unsatisfying for several reasons, but primarily because this “tactical assembly area” already includes thousands of Iraqi troops and Kurdish Peshmerga, and these are the same troops who are supposed to attack Mosul. Yet these troops are apparently unable to even hold Makhmur, let alone advance toward Mosul.

The Makhmur District is also a key to holding oil fields around Kirkuk, and the ISIS offensive is seen by many analysts as part of an effort to ultimately regain control over those lucrative oil fields, and have been “outgunning” the thousands of Iraqi troops in the area.

Whether they’re trying to save Iraqi ground troops who still can’t stand up to ISIS, or save oil fields, however, the latest escalation puts US troops even further in harm’s way, and has put the war even further afield from the “no boots on the ground” affair initially promised by the Obama Administration.

More incoming Islamic State fire for Marines at Fire Base Bell
http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/020420161
The U.S. Marine task force at Fire Base Bell has taken more enemy fire as it aids the Iraqi Army in the battle to recapture Mosul, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Col. Steve Warren said Friday.

Task Force Spartan, part of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, was inserted into the fight a few weeks ago to provide fire support and protection for Iraqi forces and their U.S. trainers in Makhmour, a city about 75 miles southeast of Mosul. The Marines came under attack by the Islamic State militants almost immediately, resulting in the death of Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin and injuring eight other Marines.

Since then, the Marines at the artillery base have provided offensive fire in support of “Operation Valley Wolf,” an attack launched last week by the Iraqi Army’s 15th Division to begin to take villages south of Mosul. The Islamic State group captured Mosul during the summer of 2014 and continues to use the city as its defacto capital in Iraq.
 
http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/280420163
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter defended the administration's strategy against Islamic State (ISIS) before Congress on Thursday saying progress is being made.

Carter said that US-backed forces on the ground are advancing towards ISIS's two main strongholds, Mosul and Raqqa, and stressed that sending in a large American ground force would backfire and result in the US "fighting on the enemy's terms of ground combat amid a local population that has previously responded violently to such an approach."

Carters comment came after US President Barack Obama announced on Tuesday that another 250 US special forces personnel will be deployed to Syria to assist the Kurdish-majority Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF) counter-ISIS efforts. They will join the 50 commandos already in northeastern Syria who have helped the SDF coordinate and execute recent offensives against ISIS.

"They're not in a combat role, but they are in a role that puts them in harms way," the White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters on Tuesday. "They are armed for combat. They are armed to defend themselves if necessary. But the role that they have is to offer advice and assistance to forces on the ground fighting ISIL [ISIS] in their own country. And that has proved to be a valuable tool and one that the president is seeking to intensify."
Carter told Congressmen that he believes his own administration should be clearer about the role of these forces.
"I think these troops are in combat and I think we need to say that clearly," he said.
See on CSpan - Defense Secretary Carter Testifies ISIS Strategy | Video | C-SPAN.org
Apache helicopters to Iraq too - http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/18/politics/defense-secretary-carter-iraq/index.html
 
Biden does Iraq - http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/29042016
"Washington has announced it will allot $415 million to the Kurdish Peshmerga and is committing an additional 200 troops to the fight against the ISIS in Iraq." 200 more troops?!
US VP Joe Biden arrives in Iraq to help leaders resolve political crisis
ha ha ha! Obama gets AirForce One and Biden gets a C-17! :D
Good summing up of the situation in Iraq - Biden presses Iraq to not let political chaos upend gains - 680 NEWS
"Still, the anxious undertones of Biden’s brief visit were clear from the moment he stepped off a military transport plane into blistering heat after an overnight flight from Washington. White House staffers donned body armour and helmets as Biden was whisked by helicopter to the relative safety of the heavily fortified Green Zone, reminders of the dire security situation even in Iraq’s capital."
 
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... and the boots on the ground arrive in Syria.
US Marines arrive in northern Raqqa
US Marines arrive in northern Raqqa - According to a security source that spoke to Al-Mayadeen, the 150 U.S. Marines traveled from the border-city of Al-Qamishli to the Al-Raqqa Governorate towns of Tal Al-Abyad and ‘Ayn ‘Issa. Another 100 Marinesl will be arriving to Syria in the coming days as the 250 soldiers expect to bolster the U.S.’ numbers on the ground.
No Plan Yet to Retake Raqqa: US Military | Military.com - lots of US Marines means someone must have a plan! :D
 
More boots on the ground needed -
PressTV-US may deploy more troops to Iraq
US military officials are considering a possible boost to the country’s current troop levels in Iraq, says a senior commander leading the US-led military efforts against the Daesh (ISIL) Takfiri group.

"We're constantly looking to see if we're right-sized," British Army Major General Doug Chalmers, the deputy commander for support in the US-led coalition, said on Thursday, adding that the number of troops and additional combat capabilities were part of an "ongoing dialogue."

The general’s remarks followed a report by the Washington Post that claimed US military commanders were going to ask President Barack Obama to authorize extra troops and equipment to allegedly fight the terror group in Iraq and Syria.

Chalmers said additional capabilities could include logistics, equipment, air support and surveillance. However, he declined to provide more details in this regard.

On the size of the requested troop level increase, he said, “I can guarantee you, it's not (in) the thousands.”

According to the Post, Washington’s "arbitrary" limits on troop numbers have frustrated coalition commander Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland as well as a group of US military commanders, administration officials and lawmakers.

Pentagon chief Ashton Carter announced in April that the United States will send 217 additional troops to Iraq, the last official reinforcement that would put the official tally at 4,087.

However, that number is expected to be significantly higher as the Pentagon doesn't count certain categories of troops.
 
PressTV-Iraq’s Sadr says US troops are targets
Iraqi shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has told his followers to target US troops who are to be deployed in Iraq as part of Washington’s alleged fight against the Daesh terrorist group.

On Monday, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that 560 more US troops will be sent to Iraq as part of an upcoming operation aimed at retaking the key city of Mosul from Daesh.

USCENTCOM | Carter: 560 U.S. troops to deploy to Iraq
The additional troops, the release said, will provide a range of support for Iraqi security forces, including infrastructure and logistical capabilities at the airfield near Qayyarah.

As the campaign shifts toward Mosul -- more than 250 miles from Baghdad -- the airfield will become a vital springboard for Iraqi forces’ offensive into Mosul, the release said. Coalition forces will also continue to provide enabler support to Kurdish Peshmerga as they converge on Mosul from Iraq's north, according to the release.
 
400 US troops heading to Iraq for Mosul fight
About 400 soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division based in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, will deploy to Iraq as part of the military’s effort to set up a logistics base at an airfield south of Mosul.

The soldiers are part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and are among the 560 additional troops that President Barack Obama approved for the Iraq mission last month. The troops are establishing a logistics hub at Qayara air base, to help Iraqi forces prepare to retake the northern city of Mosul from Daesh militants. Daesh seized the city in 2014.
The US troop authorisation for Iraq is 4,647. The Pentagon says there are about 3,800 US forces there, not including hundreds who are on temporary duty and not included in the official count.