US Marines 'Temporary' Deployment to Iraq Will Last For As Long as Needed

Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Col. Steve Warren said that US marines deployed to a firebase in northern Iraq are supposed to be stationed there temporarily, but will stay as long as their capabilities are required.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US marines deployed to a firebase in northern Iraq are supposed to be stationed there temporarily, but will stay as long as their capabilities are required, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Col. Steve Warren told reporters on Monday.

"These particular marines are here temporarily," Warren stated. "As far as how long the marines are going to be there… the capability will certainly stay as long its required."

On March 19, US Marine Sergeant Louis Cardin was killed during an Islamic State rocket strike, the Department of Defense announced on Sunday.

US commanders, Warren noted, decided to withhold information about the presence of the base in Iraq until it was fully operational to protect US and coalition forces.

The total number of US troops on the ground in Iraq, he added, remains within the established force cap of 3,870 personnel despite this latest deployment.

The Islamic State, also known as Daesh, is a designated terrorist group that has taken large areas of land in Iraq and Syria, where it proclaimed a caliphate. The terror group is outlawed in the United States, Russia and in several other countries.