U.S. Mission Creep In Iraq?

U.S. Army Gen. Ray Odierno outlines impending cuts and realignments within the Army's force structure during a Pentagon briefing, June 25, 2013. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

DoD Buzz: No ‘Mission Creep’ Yet In Iraq Says Odierno

The deployment of 450 more troops to a new site in Anbar province that could serve as the prototype for other bases northward towards Mosul should not be seen as “mission creep” in Iraq, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said Friday.

Odierno said that the White House announcement of the deployment Wednesday was “an expansion of the current policy of attempting to train additional Iraqi forces” to push back the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which recently took Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar.

“I don’t think it’s mission creep,” Odierno said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program, but was rather a continuation of the existing strategy that has focused on enabling the Iraqis to take the fight to ISIS.

WNU Editor: This certainly looks like "mission creep".

More News On The U.S. Debate On The War Against The Islamic State

Army chief: No 'mission creep' in ISIS fight -- The Hill
Dempsey Doubts Need for Deep US Role in Iraq, Urges Patience -- AP
Former Pentagon chief: Give US troops in Iraq more latitude -- The Hill
Lawmakers skeptical of WH decision to send more troops to Iraq -- The Hill
How Do You Spell Quagmire? -- Terence Smith, Huffington Post