US to Deploy 560 More Troops to Iraq in Preparation for Mosul Offensive

During a surprise trip to Baghdad, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that the U.S. will deploy another 560 troops to Iraq — bringing total U.S. troop levels in the country to 4,647.

The additional 560 U.S. troops will provide infrastructure and logistical support to the Qarayyah airfield, about 40 kilometers south of Mosul.

Earlier in the day, Carter said that U.S. and coalition forces will use the airfield, recently seized by Iraqi Security Forces, as a logistical hub in advance of the upcoming battle for ISIS-held city of Mosul.