Barack Obama approves sending 1,500 more US troops to Iraq to fight Islamic State

US President Barack Obama has authorised 1,500 more US troops to be sent to Iraq to combat the Islamic State group.

Commitment ... President Barack Obama has authorised 1,500 more US troops to be sent to Iraq. Pic: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

US President Barack Obama is authorising the U.S. military to deploy up to 1,500 more troops to Iraq as part of the mission to combat the Islamic State group.

Obama is also asking Congress for more than $5 billion to help fund the fight.

The White House says the troops won’t serve in a combat role, but will train, advise and assist Iraqi military and Kurdish forces fighting IS.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest says Obama has also authorised the additional personnel to operate at Iraqi military facilities outside Baghdad and Erbil.

Until now, U.S. troops have been operating a joint operation centre setup with Iraqi forces there.

The announcement is part of a $5.6 billion funding request to Congress and came just after Obama met with congressional leaders on Friday.

The 1500 will include a group of advisers to help Iraqi forces plan operations and a group of trainers who will be deployed across the country.

Some of the advisers will be deployed to western Anbar province, where the Iraqi army has been forced to retreat from advancing IS jihadists, a defence official said.

Defence secretary Chuck Hagel recommended the move to Obama based on a request from the Iraqi government and the assessment of US Central Command, which is overseeing the air war against the IS militants, the Pentagon said.

Threat ... A member loyal to the Islamic State waves a flag in Raqqa, Syria.

The deployment coincides “with the development of a coalition campaign plan to defend key areas and go on the offensive” against IS fighters who have grabbed large areas of Iraq and neighbouring Syria, it said.

The training sites will be located in northern, western, and southern Iraq and “coalition partners will join US personnel at these locations to help build Iraqi capacity and capability,” it added.

There are now about 1400 American troops in Iraq, including 600 advisers in Baghdad and Arbil, and 800 troops providing security for the US embassy in the capital and the Baghdad airport.

Obama had previously authorised up to 1600 troops. His decision today will raise the maximum troop footprint to 3100.

The US president had resisted keeping troops in Iraq earlier in his term, vowing to end the American presence that began with the 2003 invasion and continued as an occupation through 2011.

US officials had discussed the possibility of keeping several thousand troops in Iraq after 2011, but talks with the Iraqi government, then led by prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, broke down over the issue of legal immunity, which Washington insisted on and Baghdad declined to provide.

With today’s announcement, Obama will be deploying a force to Iraq along the lines of that considered in 2011, under legal protections similar to those it rejected as insufficient three years ago.

Standing firm ... Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Australia’s current commitment in Iraq remains. Photo: Chris McKeen

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said President Obama’s approval of additional troops in Iraq is welcome but Australia’s current commitment remains.

The Australian government announced in October it was sending special forces to Iraq to help fight Islamic State extremists and Australian war planes have led international air strikes, destroying key IS targets.

Speaking to reporters in Melbourne, Mr Abbott welcomed the US announcement but said what the US did was a matter for the US.

“Obviously we work in very close partnership with the United States, with the United Kingdom, with a number of other countries,” he told reporters.

“This is a very broad coalition, it’s not just the United States.

“Our commitment is clear, it’s up to eight Super Hornet strike aircraft ... it’s up to 200 special forces.

“We have made a strong commitment to disrupting and degrading the ISIL death cult and we continue to talk with our partners and allies about how this is best achieved.”

Greens leader Christine Milne said the US decision to increase ground troops in Iraq confirmed her fears that Australia was involved in “mission creep”.

“It started off with a humanitarian response, then it moved to dropping weapons, then it moved to committing to air strikes and special forces,” she told reporters.

“Now we have the Americans significantly increasing their contribution of boots on the ground.”

Senator Milne called on Mr Abbott to rule out increasing the number of Australian special forces - with 200 committed on the ground in Iraq to assist local forces.

“The effort has to go into cutting off (IS’s) financial and other supplies,” Senator Milne said.