WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — At the height of the most recent Iraq War, the United States had 168,000 troops on the ground. In the campaign against the Daesh, the United States has committed a contingent of 5,000 troops largely to serve in an advisory role.
"I can tell you it is a big number," Odierno said at a conference hosted by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies on the troops needed to defeat the Islamic State. "Up around fifty [thousand], but that’s with coalition capability."
Odierno, who oversaw coalition forces during the 2007 Iraq War troop surge, emphasized the importance of depriving the Daesh of territory.
Defeating the terror group "should not be US only, but it probably has to be US only," Odierno said, explaining that only the United States can rally the international coalition support.
