US weighs more military bases in Iraq: Top general
The United States is considering establishing additional military bases in Iraq as the Obama administration is adjusting its strategy against the ISIL terrorist group, according to the top American general.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that a new military base being established in Anbar Province could be a model for more such US military hubs across the country.
It will take several weeks to set up the base announced Wednesday by the White House, Dempsey told reporters traveling with him in Italy.
The top general said that the US was considering establishing a similar base in north-central Iraq if and when the Iraqi army is prepared for a counteroffensive on the city of Mosul, which has been under ISIL control for almost a year.
“You could see one in the corridor from Baghdad to Tikrit to Kirkuk to Mosul,” Dempsey said.
Operating such sites, the general said, could require more military personnel than the 3,550 troops already stationed in Iraq.
The White House said in a statement Wednesday that President Barack Obama has authorized sending “up to 450 additional military personnel” to Iraq at the request of Baghdad.
At the G7 summit in Germany earlier in the week, Obama said that his administration does not yet have “a complete strategy” against the ISIL terrorist group.
Obama’s admission came nearly 10 months after he ordered an open-ended military air campaign against the Takfiri group.
Recent setbacks in Iraq and Syria have raised serious doubts about Obama’s strategy against the terrorists.
HRJ/HRJ
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