WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Some 5,262 US troops will be in place to support Iraqi forces in the upcoming battle to capture the city of Mosul from the Daesh terrorist group, the US Army said in a press release on Friday.
The number includes the 615 additional forces deployed by President Barack Obama earlier this week, the release explained.
"The addition of more than 600 additional troops in the coming weeks will bring the force management level to 5,262 US troops," Director of US Department of Defense Press Operations Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said in the release.
29 September 2016, 15:20 GMT
While most specific locations cannot be released for security reasons, Davis identified two air bases where the American troops will be sent with specific missions: Al-Asad Air Base in the Euphrates River Valley north of Baghdad, and Qayyarah Air Base near Qayyarah City.
The US troops will work in close coordination with the Iraqi government to provide capabilities, such as logistics and maintenance support, as well as provide advice and assistance teams for Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.
The Daesh has controlled Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, since June 2014.
