WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will have the chance to decide on whether to increase the number of U.S. forces in Iraq in the “coming weeks,” the top U.S. general said on Wednesday.
The extra troops would bolster the capabilities of Iraqi forces, U.S. Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a news briefing.
“Those recommendations are being made and the president will have an opportunity to make some decisions here in the coming weeks,” Dunford said. “I brought it to the secretary (Defense Secretary Ash Carter). The secretary will engage with the president.”
Dunford said last week he expected an increase in the level of U.S. forces in Iraq from the current 3,800, but that those decisions had not been finalized.

Source: Reuters, MARCH 31