Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/702825
ByLolitaC.Baldor The Associated Press BAGHDAD The United States will send 560 more troops to Iraq to transform a freshly retaken air base into a staging hub for the long-awaited battle to re- capture Mosul from Islamic State militants, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Monday. The new Ameri- can forces should arrive in the coming weeks. Most of the engineers, logistics personnel, secu- rity and communications forces will concentrate on building up Qayara air base, about 40 kilometers south of Mosul. They will assist Iraqi forces planning to encircle and eventually retake the biggest city any- where that has fallen under IS' control. The extremist group cap- tured Mosul in the summer of 2014. It has used the city as a main headquarters since. "These additional U.S. forces will bring unique ca- pabilities to the campaign and provide critical enabler support to Iraqi forces at a key moment in the fight," Carter said on an unan- nounced visit to the country. Lt. Gen. Sean MacFar- land, the top U.S. com- mander in the fight against the Islamic State group, said they have already re- ceived warning orders to deploy and will flow in "rel- atively soon." Carter announced Pres- ident Barack Obama's de- cision as he met about 120 troops in a building at Bagh- dad's airport, shielded from scorching desert hovering near 100 degrees Fahren- heit. It is Obama's second U.S. troop increase in Iraq in the last three months, and it brings the total U.S. force authorization there to 4,647. Asked how long America will continue to send more forces to the fight, Carter said that the U.S. is deter- mined to defeat IS, and if commanders need for more troops, "I'll ask the presi- dent for them." He also said he has of- fered Iraqi leaders addi- tional help in learning how to detect and counter explo- sives and roadside bombs, in order to enhance se- curity in Baghdad, where there have been several re- cent deadly attacks. Carter told reporters that U.S. advisers are prepared to accompany Iraqi battal- ions in operations, as those units begin the Mosul siege. It's not clear when exactly that will happen. U.S. offi- cials said a team of Amer- ican troops went into Qa- yara for a quick site assess- ment Sunday and left. The airfield has two run- ways, officials said, making it easier to move supplies and personnel. But the fa- cilities are damaged by years of fighting, and may require repairs to be oper- ational. Officials weren't au- thorized to talk about the airfield publicly and de- manded anonymity. Iraqi forces retook the Qayara air base from the Is- lamic State group on Satur- day. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi hailed the success and said residents should "get ready for the libera- tion." Carter called it a stra- tegic victory. Before arriv- ing in Baghdad, he said the base will be a hub to help Iraqi forces "complete the southern-most envelop- ment of Mosul." He likened Qayara to the eastern city of Makhmour, where U.S. troops set up a fire base for artillery to support advanc- ing Iraqi units. WAR ON TERRORISM USsending560moretroopsto Iraq as Mosul push intensifies THEASSOCIATEDPRESS U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, le , shakes hands with Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi at the Ministry of Defense, Baghdad, Iraq, on Monday. TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2016 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 5 B