Pentagon says about 100 USA special forces being sent to Iraq

About 200 US special operations forces will be based in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil from where they will launch raids against ISIS in both Iraq and Syria.

“The Iraqi government stresses that any military operation or the deployment of any foreign forces – special or not – in any place in Iraq can not happen without its approval and coordination and full respect of Iraqi sovereignty”.

The British vote marks another step in building an global consensus on how to address the problem of the Islamic State group – something that had not been possible before the bombing of a Russian jetliner over Egypt and the Paris attacks, said Jill Sargent Russell, an expert on warfare politics and strategy at King’s College London. One US troop died in the operation. He said USA authorities were using the “finest fighting force the world has ever known” to fight ISIS militants. He said the new force would conduct operations similar to two conducted earlier this year.

“Let me ask you this: have we now contained ISIL?”

Carter also updated Congress on the campaign to destroy the Islamic State’s illegal oil business.

The U.S. has agreed that any operations inside Iraq will be coordinated and conducted alongside Iraqi forces.

On Dec. 1 an air strike on a water treatment plant in Syria on November 26 cut water supplies for 3.5 million people and although pumping has been partly restored 1.4 million still have reduced supply the head of United Nations agency UNICEF in Syria said on Dec. 1.

The chairman also discussed a “specialized expeditionary targeting force” that will deploy to the region to assist Iraqi and Kurdish peshmerga forces against ISIL.

USA officials spoke extensively with the prime minister over the last several weeks, Warren said, adding that Abadi’s statement lays out a framework for the roles and responsibilities of the new unit.

Carter also hinted he might send additional special forces to Syria, beyond the 50 already disclosed.

Carter told the House Armed Services Committee that over time, the special operations force will be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence and capture IS leaders.

The 50 special operations forces that the president and Pentagon previously announced were headed for northeastern Syria, will not be directly involved in ground combat operations.

“The territory under ISIL’s control has shrunk, that is a fact”, Carter said, noting that Kurds are now controlling those areas in Iraq and Syria.

“American special operators bring a unique suite of capabilities that make them force multipliers”, he said.

They faced skeptical lawmakers who argued that the USA needs to be more forceful in countering the threat from IS, credited with attacks in Paris and Beirut and the downing of a Russian airliner.