300 US troops deployed
The Pentagon announces that the US has increased its presence in Iraq. Over the past few days, 200 troops arrived in the area to provide additional security for the US Embassy, the Baghdad airport and other locations. A written statement from Pentagon spokesman, Rear Adm. John Kirby says the deployment includes:
a detachment of helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, which will bolster airfield and travel route security.
The newly deployed troops are an addition to 300 U.S. advisers who will help train Iraq’s security forces. They will bring the total of American forces in Iraq to about 800 troops.