U.S. Military Forces May Return To Iraq To Train Iraqi Forces

Kuwaiti soldiers look on as the last U.S. convoy crosses the border into Kuwait from Iraq, Dec. 18, 2011. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Jordan Johnson

U.S. Troops May Be Headed Back To The Middle East To Train Iraqis -- Washington Times

U.S. military men and women may be headed back to Iraq — again.

American troops have been out of the country since 2011, but Iraq President Nouri al-Maliki said this week that he would back a U.S. training mission that takes place in Jordan, the Navy Times reported.

The Pentagon issued a statement on Friday that leaves the door open for U.S. forces to return to the region to train security forces struggling with an al Qaeda resurgence in Anbar province.

“We are in continuing discussions about how we can improve the Iraqi military,” Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said Friday in a statement.

“We are processing a wide range of requests [from the Iraqis] for continued support,” a defense official speaking on condition of anonymity told the Navy Times. Those requests include arms shipments large enough to require Congressional notification.

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My Comment: This smells like ""mission creep".