US Plans to Send 400 Military Trainers to Iraq to Combat ISIL

The United States is planning to use an Iraqi base in central Anbar Province to house 400 American military specialists who will train Iraqi forces fighting against Islamic State radicals, The New York Times reports citing American officials.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – A final decision on the new training operation near the town of Habbaniyah has not been announced yet, the newspaper said on Tuesday, adding that US plans to send additional specialists to Iraq come in the wake of the capture of the city of Ramadi by ISIL militants.

The United States currently has 3,000 troops in Iraq in a training capacity and continues to carry out airstrikes on Islamic State positions in Iraq, as well as Syria, where the Sunni radicals have also ceased vast territories.

The airstrikes are part of international US-led coalition efforts to eradicate ISIL, which has become notorious for its brutal tactics and beheadings of Western journalists. The coalition was formed by US President Barack Obama in September, 2014, and its military action has been limited to airstrikes.

On the ground, Islamic State fighters are being opposed by Iraqi forces and Kurdish militia. However, despite the joint efforts, Islamic State has recently made advances in Iraq, capturing Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province located some 80 miles west of Baghdad.