BAGHDAD – Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived in Baghdad Monday to talk to Iraqi leaders about beefing up Iraqi forces working to retake the northern city of Mosul, a critical goal in the effort to ISIS.
A senior U.S. official said that as the U.S. moves to help the Iraqis, it will also likely mean that at least a “small number” of additional American forces will go to the warzone.
Carter has said the U.S. is considering a number of options, including more airstrikes, cyber-attacks and American troops on the ground.
Late last month, U.S. Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that he and Carter believe U.S. forces in Iraq will increase in the coming weeks. Any final decision would be worked out with the Iraqi government and require President Barack Obama’s approval.
Some of those decisions could become clearer in the coming days and weeks. Obama will be in Saudi Arabia later this week to meet with Gulf leaders and talk about the fight against the Islamic State group.
ISIS has established a key stronghold in Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, and retaking it from the militants is the key end game, according to the U.S. official.
During his visit to Baghdad, Carter is slated to meet with Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, the top U.S. military commander for the Islamic State fight, as well as a number of Iraqi leaders including Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi.
He also is expected to speak by phone with the president of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani.
Iraqi leaders, said the official, will back the addition of more U.S. troops if they directly coincide with specific capabilities that Iraq forces needs to fight IS and take back Mosul.
As an example, the U.S. helped the Iraqis with temporary bridges in order for troops to cross the river and move into Ramadi late last year and retake it from the Islamic State militants. The official was not authorized to talk publicly about the ongoing discussions so spoke on condition of anonymity.
This is Carter’s third trip to Iraq since becoming defense secretary early last year. In December officials were trying to carefully negotiate new U.S. assistance with Iraqi leaders, who often have a different idea of how to wage war.
The costs of the war against IS, along with the plunge in the price of oil which accounts for 95 percent of Iraq’s revenues have caused an economic crisis, adding fresh urgency to calls for reform. Iraqi officials predict a budget deficit of more than $30 billion this year.
Source: AP, April 18
