WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — About 5,000 US forces are now based in Iraq to support local forces that are preparing for an assault on the nation’s second largest city of Mosul, which was captured by Daesh fighters in June 2014.
14 October 2016, 18:38 GMT
"We will assist in training Iraqi commanders, staffs, soldiers, and police officers as they plan and conduct counter-ISIL [counter-Daesh] operations in both the Tigris and Euphrates River valleys, with a central focus on the City of Mosul,” US Army First Infantry Division Commander Major General Joseph Martin said in the release.
The release said the troops from Ft. Riley in Kansas will replace soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division.
