President Barack Obama’s administration is considering sending up to 1,000 additional forces to Iraq, with many of them focused on training Iraqi troops, a senior U.S. official told CNN.
Later Tuesday, another senior U.S. official said the number of additional troops being considered to help train Iraqi security forces is less than 500, and that a final decision is expected soon. It’s not clear if more than those 500 would be sent for other purposes, such as security, air support or medical help.
The United States anticipates Iraq adding military training sites. The military has proposed other options that would involve fewer troops, the first official said. But the number of additional forces would likely reach around 1,000 if new training locations are opened in Anbar province or other places.
The possibility of an additional 1,000 troops was first reported by The Associated Press.
The official said one of the options being considered would have U.S. forces directly train — but not arm — Sunni tribes.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey told reporters traveling with him in Jerusalem on Tuesday that Obama has asked military brass to “take a look at what we’ve learned over the last eight months in the train-and-equip program and make recommendations to him on whether there are capabilities that we may want to provide to the Iraqis to actually make them more capable.”
“He’s asked us to look at whether there are other locations where we might establish training sites,” Dempsey said. “He’s asked us to take a look at how we might develop Iraq’s leaders.”
There are currently 3,050 U.S. forces in Iraq — with 2,250 of them devoted to supporting Iraqi security forces, 800 protecting U.S. personnel and facilities, 450 training Iraqi troops and 200 in advising and assisting roles.