Obama Orders Deployment of 450 More Military Advisors to Iraq

The White House announced on Wednesday that the U.S. government will send 450 more military advisors to Iraq to train the Iraqi army. This deployment is in response to a request for assistance from the Iraqi government, which has faced a new wave of attacks from the Islamic State group in recent weeks. According to the Associated Press, under this new plan, U.S. military training centers in Iraq will increase from four to five, and more Iraqi armed forces personnel will be trained at these centers. The majority of the volunteers being trained by the U.S. will be Sunni tribal members. The White House states that the U.S. President made this decision at the request of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and upon the recommendation of U.S. defense officials. However, Mr. Obama continues to resist calls to send U.S. combat troops to the front lines in Iraq. Meanwhile, according to Reuters, due to intense fighting between Syrian Kurdish fighters and militants of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) around the Kurdish city of Tal Abyad, thousands have fled and crossed into Turkey. A Reuters photographer in the area reported that Syrian refugees, most of whom are women and children, entered Turkey through a temporary border crossing controlled by the Turkish gendarmerie. A Turkish government official stated that about 2,000 Syrian refugees were registered on Wednesday. In the past week, around 7,000 Syrian refugees had also entered Turkey from the same point. According to this Turkish official, the Syrian migrants are fleeing the battle between Kurdish fighters and moderate Syrian rebels against the Islamic State for control of the city of Tal Abyad and the intensified airstrikes by the international coalition on ISIS positions. The northeastern regions of Syria are strategically important for the Islamic State as they connect the group's territory in Iraq and Syria. The Islamic State launched a new offensive against these areas last week, which are under the control of the Syrian army and parts of which are controlled by autonomous Kurdish groups. Syrian Kurdish groups have used the current crisis to expand their territory. The rise of Syrian Kurds has raised concerns for the Turkish government. A Turkish official stated that the majority of the refugees fleeing these areas and entering Turkey are Iraqis and Syrians.