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US To Send 200 More Troops, Apache Helicopters, To Iraq !


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CNN. Broadcasting While Doing An Apache War Dance !

 

 

US to Send 200 More Troops, Apache Helicopters, to Iraq

  • By LOLITA C. BALDOR, ASSOCIATED PRESS

BAGHDAD — Apr 18, 2016, 10:51 AM ET

The U.S. 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 U.S. forces in nearly a year, U.S. defense officials said Monday.

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. Last June the Obama administration announced that hundreds of troops would be deployed to help the Iraqis retake Ramadi — a goal they accomplished at the end of the year.

Of the additional troops, most would be Army special forces, who have been used throughout the anti-Islamic State campaign to advise and assist the Iraqis. The remainder would include some trainers, security forces for the advisers, and maintenance teams for the Apaches.

The decisions reflect weeks of discussions with commanders and Iraqi leaders, and a decision by President Barack Obama to increase the authorized troop level in Iraq by 217 forces — or from 3,870 to 4,087. The advise-and-assist teams — made up of about a dozen troops each accompanied by security forces — would embed with Iraqi brigades and battalion, likely putting them closer to the front lines and at greater risk from mortars and rocket fire.

The proximity to the battlefront will allow the U.S. teams to provide more tactical combat advice as the Iraqi units move toward Mosul, the country's second-largest city, still under Islamic State control. Until now, U.S. advisers have worked with the Iraqis at the headquarters level, well back from the front lines.

The Apache helicopters are considered a significant aid to any attack on Mosul.

Last December, U.S. officials were trying to carefully negotiate new American assistance with Iraqi leaders who often have a different idea of how to wage war. At that time, the Iraqis refused Apache helicopters for the battle to retake Ramadi.

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

U.S. officials have also said that the number of special operations forces in Syria would be increased at some point, but Carter did not mention that in his comments. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Carter's announcement Monday came after several meetings with his commanders and Iraqi leaders about how the U.S. can best help Iraqi forces retake Mosul.

He met 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 Iraq's minister of defense Khalid al-Obeidi.

He also spoke by phone with the president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani

Late last month, U.S. Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that he and Carter believed there would be an increase in U.S. forces in Iraq in the coming weeks.

Later this week, Obama will be in Saudi Arabia to talk with Gulf leaders about the fight against the Islamic State and ask for their help in rebuilding Ramadi, which took heavy damage in the battle.

U.S. military and defense officials also have made it clear that winning back Mosul is critical, but will be challenging, because the insurgents are dug in and have likely peppered the landscape with roadside bombs and other traps for any advancing military.

A senior defense official told reporters traveling with Carter that while Iraqi leaders have been reluctant to have a large number of U.S. troops in Iraq, they also need certain capabilities that only more American or coalition forces can provide.

Iraqi leaders, back the addition of more U.S. troops if their work is coordinated with Iraqis and directed toward the retaking of Mosul. The official was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.

Iraq has been struggling with a political crisis, as efforts to oust the speaker of parliament failed. Al-Abadi's efforts to get a new cabinet in place met resistance, and influential Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr issued a deadline, giving parliament 72 hours to vote in a new Cabinet.

At the same time, 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.

http://abcnews.go.com/Internat.....t-38474849

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Washington Peshmerga forces will give $ 415 million

18/04/2016

Khandan - The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) said on Monday that Washington would give the Peshmerga forces $ 415 million. The US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, said his country would give $ 415 million to the Peshmerga forces. The new Carter , who arrived inBaghdad on an unannounced visit, his country 's support Iraq in its war against al "Daash" terrorist, pointing at the same time to increase support and military aid to Iraq. so , a senior official at the Pentagon announced that it will deploy about 200 additional troops in Iraq and send Apache helicopters to fight al "Daash" terrorist, bringing the number of soldiers Americans to about 4100

http://www.xendan.org/arabic/d.....#038;Jor=1

 

 

 

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The United States will send more than 200 additional troops and eight apache helicopters to Iraq in an effort to bolster local forces as they prepare to retake Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, from the so-called Islamic State.

US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter made the announcement Monday while visiting top American and Iraqi officials in Baghdad. The additional 217 troops will boost total US forces from 3,870 to 4,087 and include Army special forces, trainers, security forces for the advisers, and maintenance teams for the Apaches.

Some of these will be placed closer to the front lines although the US said it would take measures to reduce the risks. The US will also boost funding to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting ISIS in northern Iraq by an additional $415 million over time, according to the Associated Press.

Recommended: How much do you know about the Islamic State?

Secretary Carter said the US government was “on the same page” as the Iraqi government in terms of how to intensify the fight against Islamic State, a different scenario to June last year before a coalition of troops successfully retook Ramadi.

 

“The proximity to the battlefront will allow the US. teams to provide more tactical combat advice as the Iraqi units move toward Mosul, the country's second-largest city, still under Islamic State control. Until now, US advisers have worked with the Iraqis at the headquarters level, well back from the front lines.

Carter called the addition of the Apache helicopters significant, because they can "respond so quickly and so dynamically to an evolving tactical situation," AP reported.

 

The level of detail already known about the upcoming operation to retake Mosul came as a surprise to many when a US military official revealed the planned campaign in February,The Christian Science Monitor’s Anna Mulrine reported.

It will be carried out by roughly 24,000 Iraqi troops who are currently training to retakeMosul from an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 IS fighters.

“I was surprised to see them do this,” retired Lt. Gen. David Barno, who served as commander of US forces in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005, told The Monitor. “It’s a little perplexing to me to go into the amount of detail and the timelines that they did.”

The additional US troops are the first significant boost in numbers for about a year.

Carter said the addition of the Apache attack helicopters was important because they can  "respond so quickly and so dynamically to an evolving tactical situation."

He said he had discussed their use with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and, "he understood that it would be necessary for just these cases and agreed with me that we would provide it."

Their agreement on the helicopters stood in contrast to the battle for Ramadi last year when Iraqi forces refused their use believing they were unnecessary.

Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, the top US military commanders in the fight against the Islamic State, said the additional funding to Peshmerga forces was in part to help them overcome food shortages which have been depriving them of the necessary energy needed to keep fighting.

"Right now the peshmerga are not getting enough calories to keep them in the field, so we're very interested in making sure that they have enough food just to carry on the fight," he said.

As well as putting some troops closer to the fight, the US will send an extra long-range rocket artillery unit to support Iraqi ground forces in the battle for Mosul.

"This will put Americans closer to the action," Carter said. "Their whole purpose is to be able to help those forces respond in a more agile way.

This report contains material from Reuters and the Associated Press.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-us-sending-more-troops-helicopters-iraq-214421607.html?nhp=1

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FROM US $415M FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Iraq, April 19, 2016 
The US Defense Secretary has announced that the US is going to allot $415 million to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and are committing an additional over 200 troops to the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq.

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter was in Baghdad on Monday to finalize the agreement.

The $415 million allocated to the Peshmerga will be paid over several months to "pay the Peshmergas’ salaries and other necessities," Jabar Yawar, Chief of Staff of the Peshmerga Ministry, confirmed to Rudaw.

The financial commitment comes just days after Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region (KRG), appealed for monetary support in Washington. “We have absolutely no problems with any conditions that [would] be placed on financial assistance given to us,” he said while speaking to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy think-tank, adding that the region needs $100 million per month to fund the fight against ISIS.

“In response to a request from the Kurdistan Regional Government for economic assistance, the Department of Defense will provide these funds on a monthly basis to support selected Peshmerga units,” Matthew R. Allen, a spokesman for the US Department of Defense (DoD) told Rudaw. “These forces have been among the most effective in the fight against ISIL and will be critical in the retaking of Mosul.”

“These funds will be provided by, with, and through the Government of Iraq, and will be drawn from DoD funds already appropriated,” he explained. “They will help the KRG overcome severe impacts from its internal budget crisis through directed assistance to Peshmerga units involved in the counter-ISIL fight – helping cover stipends and other key Peshmerga needs.”

Yawar stated that the financial support is the result of high level discussions between the KRG and US officials, noting that the US has been a staunch ally, “America has already armed two Peshmerga brigades.”

KRG officials took to Twitter to express their gratitude for the support.

Lahur Talabani, Director of the KRG’s intelligence agency, tweeted, “We thank the U.S. government for their commitment & support to our brave peshmerga forces who have been fighting ISIS on the world’s behalf.”

Masrour Barzani, Chancellor of the KRG Security Council also tweeted his appreciation and expressed hope for additional international support: “This war is a shared responsibility, and I hope other members of the Global Coalition will consider increasing their aid to Kurdistan.”

The Peshmerga have not been paid their salaries for the past three months.

The additional US troops committed today will be mainly Special Forces, embedded with the Iraqi forces to advise and assist and will bring the Americans closer to the frontlines than they have been to date.

The US has also committed Apache helicopters to aid in the battle to retake Mosul. So far, Apache helicopters have only been used in Iraq to protect American personnel.

The new commitment of troops will bring the number of American forces in Iraq to 4,087, up from 3,870.

(rudaw)
   
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They Just More Than Doubled The Amount Of Financial support To The Kurds !

B)     B)     B)

 

 

Washington's support for the Peshmerga forces will reach $ 900 million

 

14 minutes ago

Said an official US source, in a statement to the network Roudao media, "said US support for the Peshmerga forces by the United States of America will not be limited to 415 million dollars, it will reach $ 900 million and will be awarded to thefighters , the Peshmerga forces in different ways."

He added source, that " the aid to be provided by the United States will be 22.5 million dollars to train and meet the needs of the Peshmerga forces, and $ 65 million will be allocated to the forces that will bespecial operations." The source continued, "As of the end of this month , USA will secure food supplies for the troops Peshmerga fighting on the battlefield, in addition to fuel, medicines and medical supplies. " He explained," we are going to form two brigades new Peshmerga forces, numbering 4,200 fighters of the Peshmerga, and will be allocated 180-200 million dollars to secure weapons for this subsidiary of thePeshmerga forces brigades. " among source that the United States wants to strengthen the fronts of combat, and for this reason are discussing now is to increase the number of the Peshmerga forces of 60,000 fighters, to 80,000 fighters on the battlefield, it seems that the $ 415 million has been allocated for the Peshmerga forces that will participate in the liberation of Mosul process al Daash The source added, he hoped to provide the United States of America, a loan to Iraq in 2016-2018, and will be $ 200 million of this loan to secure Peshmerga forces kits, and this will reach the total aid to the United States for the Peshmerga to about $ 900 million, comes this in a joint framework between and visited the defense and State Department with the presidency of the Kurdistan region and the Ministry of Peshmerga, and will not have any connection to the US Congress.

http://rudaw.net/arabic/kurdis...../190420168

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