Carter sending ‘specialized expeditionary targeting force’ to Iraq

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Iraq’s government was briefed in advance of the announcement of the new special forces. “Sending more United States of America ground troops is a mistake”.

“Neither do we”, added Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who was testifying alongside Carter.

“These special operators will over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence and capture ISIL leaders”.

There are currently 3,500 USA service members in Iraq now.

The force is in addition to the “less than 50” Special Operations forces Obama authorized in October to aid in the fight against ISIS in Syria.

The presence of American ground forces is a contentious issue in Iraq, where the United States fought a almost nine-year war, and it is politically expedient for Abadi to distance himself from the deployment.

The Pentagon said on Wednesday a new us specialized operations force being deployed to Iraq would number about 100, and the majority would not be engaged in raids. “So we’re going to go where the enemy is and we’re going to conduct operations where they most effectually degrade the capabilities of the enemy”, Dunford said. “They will help us garner valuable ground intelligence, further enhance our air campaign and, above all, enable local forces that can regain and then hold territory occupied by ISIL”.

“It puts everyone on notice in Syria: You don’t know at night who’s coming through the window”, Carter said. “And that’s the sensation that we want all of ISIL’s leadership and followers to have”.

Defense officials said the number of special operations forces and where they will be deployed in Iraq has yet to be determined.

It’s become especially vital because of ISIS’s growing ability to operate in encrypted portions of cyberspace for US troops to react as quickly as they can after getting intelligence tips. Their job is to assist and advise mostly Kurdish forces in their combat ops against ISIS targets in Syria and will be “semi-permanently” located at a Kurdish military operations center at what is presumed to be a safe distance from any ground combat with Syria.

Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, the top Democrat on the committee, said the group needs to be defeated, not just contained. According to the Washington Post, the new task force, unlike the previous raids carried out by forces stationed outside of Iraq and Syria, will offer greater detail into the planning and conduction of such operations.

Kerry was answering a question about comments by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi saying that no foreign forces would be allowed to deploy without Baghdad’s OK.