International coalition to increase number of troops in Iraq

The US-led international coalition said on Sunday that the number of its troops in Iraq is set to rise to 7,000 after the arrival of 560 American soldiers, Anadolu has reported. Spokesman Christopher Garver told a press conference at the US embassy in central Baghdad that the figure excludes embassy employees.

“The international coalition conducted 70 air strikes against Daesh in Iraq last week,” said Garver, “and it trained 23,750 members of the Iraqi security forces.”

The coalition spokesman estimated that there are between 5,000 and 10,000 Daesh fighters in Mosul and expects this to fall to 5 or 6,000 when the military strikes against the group’s positions begin. It is also estimated that there are still somewhere between 500,000 and one million civilians in the city.

“As such, we keep vigilant when we carry out our airstrikes,” he explained. Coalition forces act as consultants and advisers for the Iraqi army, said Garver, and provide intelligence. “They are not involved directly in the fight against Daesh.”

More than 10,000 items of information about Daesh in the Syrian city of Manbij have been obtained from computers, mobile phones and modems operated by the group. According to Garver they include details of recruitment processes and how recruits are infiltrated into Syria. Following analysis, he added, the details will be passed to the security forces.