Second Lt. Brian Quinn photographed vistas of Baghdad from an Army transport in 2011. Defense Department file photo
Obama to Deploy 200 Combat-Ready Troops to Iraq
This will bring the total number of U.S. forces in Iraq to nearly 800.
Earlier in June, the president pledged a group of 300 military advisers to "train and advise Iraqi forces." The arrival of the military advisers led to the first offensive by Iraqi forces since ISIS began its takeover of northern and western Iraq. At that same press conference, Obama declared, quite forcefully, that "American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq."
That may not be exactly true anymore. In his letter to House Speaker John Boehner, President Obama explained that these troops would not only be reinforcing security at the embassy in Baghdad, but would also be "equipped for combat." This would bring the total number of U.S. forces in Iraq to nearly 800.
Here's the text of the letter:
