US Sending 200 More Troops to Iraq to 'Advise and Assist' Mosul Offensive

Washington is sending 200 to 300 additional US troops to Iraq to help with the offensive to liberate the city of Mosul, according to Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Colonel Joseph Scrocca.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States is sending two more companies of soldiers to Iraq to help with the offensive to liberate the city of Mosul, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Colonel Joseph Scrocca confirmed to US media on Monday.

"This is not a new capacity," Scrocca told ABC News. "It provides more advise and assist assets to our Iraqi partners."

The 200 to 300 additional troops are from the 82nd Airborne Division's second combat brigade, and their mission is expected to be a temporary one, according to media reports.

The Iraqi operation to recapture Mosul, the key stronghold of the Russia-outlawed terror group Islamic State in Iraq, began in October 2016 and resulted in the liberation of the city’s eastern part in January. Fighting continues in the Mosul's western part.