WASHINGTON — U.S. officials on Friday wouldn't set a limit on the number of troops that may eventually be sent to Iraq, after the administration announced that it would be doubling the number of U.S. military personnel there.
"The limit that we've placed, again, as I've said, is more on the mission, the limiting principle that this is not a combat mission," a senior administration official told reporters on a conference call on Friday after being asked if the U.S. would place a limit on the number of troops it plans to send. "In terms of numbers, I don't think we want to specify that we're going to be steady at a very specific number. That's both because there could be troops rotating home as well, or we'll assess whether there need to be additional advisers based on judgments on the ground going forward."
"I would say that there was a very deliberate effort here to look at the comprehensive needs across the country and then to put forward a significant number that matched those needs," the official said, adding that the administration "wanted to be transparent" about the fact that a "significant" number of personnel were needed this time.
"I'm not anticipating there being additional requirements on the horizon in terms of personnel, but I also don't want to suggest that we're going to set a specific ceiling with respect to U.S. personnel."
The Obama administration announced on Friday that it would be increasing the number of U.S. military personnel on the ground in Iraq by 1,500, for the purposes of training and advising Iraqi security forces and Kurdish forces to fight ISIS. The move will almost double the amount of U.S. troops there, which currently stands at 1,400.