More U.S. Troops To Iraq?

American trainers take a break as they train Iraqi soldiers on approaching and clearing buildings north of Baghdad, on January 7, 2015 ©Ahmad Al-Rubaye (AFP/File)

CNN: Hundreds of new U.S. troops to Iraq a 'possibility'

(CNN)The Obama administration is "not ruling out the possibility" of sending hundreds of additional troops to Iraq this fall to help train, advise and assist Iraqi forces as they get ready for a potential assault on Mosul, according to a senior U.S. official.

And while officials won't publicly confirm it, there have been several meetings to begin to determine if more troops are needed for the upcoming battle for Iraq's second-largest city and what those troops might do to affect the battle.

The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, by all accounts has not yet asked for more troops, several U.S. officials told CNN.

"He engaged with dialogue up through his chain of command where he thinks there might be an area where we might require an increase in capability, and I use that word 'capability' because it can be a rash of forms," said British Army Maj. Gen. Doug Chalmers, deputy commander for strategy in the U.S.-led coalition, in a news briefing for Pentagon reporters.

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Update #1: Obama’s generals want more U.S. troops in Iraq (Josh Rogin, Washington Post)
Update #2: US military leaders discuss extra troops in Iraq: official (AFP)

WNU Editor: This has been nothing more but mission creep for the past two years.