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Defence & Security News - USA
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| US to deploy 200 soldiers and Apache helicopters in Iraq | |||
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The US has decided to deploy 200 additional soldiers and Apache attack helicopters in Iraq. The decision was taken in coordination with the Iraqi government, after extensive discussions in an effort to bolster Iraqi military capabilities in preparation for the liberation of Mosul.
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 US Army Apache helicopters in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom (Photo: US DOD)
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Most of the soldiers would come from the Special Forces. Their role will be to advise the Iraqi forces while being closer to the first line. Nevertheless, they will be under the protection of the Iraqi forces. Each advise-and-support team will consist of 12 soldiers. They will be embedded to the Iraqi battalions and brigades; instead of higher echelon headquarters that US advisers have been until now. The rest of the soldiers will be the ground support teams of the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and the crews serving rocket artillery systems that will also be deployed in the area. The move is a major decision not only for the US but for the Iraqi government as well. Until now it had been unwilling to accept any guidance or the deployment of attack helicopters. The authorization will bring the precision weapons of the helicopters into Mosul’s urban terrain, where the Islamic State is well dug in. |
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