In an escalation of American re-engagement in Iraq, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Thursday deployed the first division headquarters unit to the war-torn country since the U.S. withdrawal in 2011.
About 200 soldiers from the Army’s 1st Infantry Division headquarters, based at Fort Riley, Kansas, will bring to almost 1,400 the number of troops President Barack Obama has sent into Iraq since July to counter an offensive by Islamic State fighters.
Obama, Hagel and other U.S. leaders have insisted that the new American troops do not represent “boots on the ground” and will not see combat as they advise and help command Iraqi forces.
An additional 300 members of the Army’s oldest continuously operating division, called The Big Red One for its shoulder patch, which features the numeral “1” stitched in red, will be sent to the Central Command theater in the Middle East, ready to enter Iraq if needed. Currently, thousands of American troops are based in Kuwait.
http://personalliberty.com/pentagon-deploys-headquarters-unit-iraq-sign-mission-expanding/
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