But they will be in non-combat role, training local forces
With no let-up in the challenge posed by the Islamic State militants, President Barack Obama has authorised deployment of an additional 1,500 US troops to Iraq — not for combat duty, but to expand training and assistance for the battling Iraqi and Kurdish forces.
This new deployment to be effected in the coming months will roughly double the American troops in Iraq and train nine Iraqi army brigades and three brigades of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.
“It does not change the President’s policy that US forces will not be engaged in combat in Iraq. So even as these forces are able to deploy to different parts of the country to provide the train, advise-and-assist mission, they will not be introduced into combat,” senior official said, stressing that it will be the Iraqi security forces and the Peshmerga who will be fighting on the frontlines against ISIS.