Pentagon chief says US to deploy special forces in Iraq to fight Daesh

The US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter said yesterday that America will deploy special forces to fight Daesh in Iraq, with the ability to conduct raids over the border in Syria.

Speaking to the House Armed Services Committee, the Pentagon chief said, “next, in full coordination with the government of Iraq, we’re deploying a specialized expeditionary targeting force to assist Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces and to put even more pressure on Daesh,” using another acronym for Daesh.

“These special operators will over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence, and capture Daesh leaders,” he said.

“This force will also be in a position to conduct unilateral operations into Syria,” he added.

Carter explained in an earlier statement that the overall objective of the US forces’ presence in Iraq is to enable local forces through training and counselling, stressing that the United States stands ready to help local Iraqi forces “because this is the only way to defeat Daesh”.