WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — According to the White House, the budget will be used for precision airstrikes, special operations forces, intelligence collection and the development of local ground forces in Iraq and Syria.
“The Budget provides $7.5 billion to DOD [Defense Department] to continue our military campaign, Operation Inherent Resolve, which is expelling ISIL from Syrian and Iraqi territory and disrupting ISIL [Daesh's] efforts,” the document said.
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on February 2 that the current funding request for the fight against Daesh constitutes 50 percent increase compared to 2016.
The US budget proposal for 2017 also includes $4 billion to pursue the counter-Daesh efforts by strengthening regional partners, as well as providing humanitarian assistance, which brings the overall anti-Daesh funding to $11 billion.