Statement from Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on additional support to Iraqi counter-ISIL efforts
Sept. 28, 2016

The coalition to defeat ISIL continues to achieve results on the battlefield, and I congratulate Iraqi security forces on their recent progress, including the operation to free Sharqat. The coalition will continue to increase the pressure on ISIL in Mosul and wherever it seeks refuge in Iraq.

In anticipation of the Mosul fight, the United States and the government of Iraq have agreed that additional U.S. and coalition capabilities could help accelerate the campaign at this critical phase. At the request of myself and Chairman Dunford, and with the support and approval of Prime Minister Abadi, President Obama has authorized approximately 600 additional U.S. troops to further enable Iraqi forces.

The troops, in close coordination with the government of Iraq, will provide specific capabilities including logistics and maintenance support; train, advise and assist teams for Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdish Peshmerga for the upcoming Mosul operation; and expanded intelligence resources to help disrupt ISIL’s terrorist network in Iraq and beyond.

The United States will continue to stay in close contact with our Iraqi partners as efforts to retake Mosul progress, including the role that the international coalition can continue to play in helping the Iraqi government defeat ISIL.