Pentagon: Hundreds More Trainers Needed for ISIS War in Iraq

US Hopes Not All Will Be Americans

by Jason Ditz,

Pentagon officials are saying “hundreds” of additional trainers are needed for the ISIS war to give the Iraqi military a chance of capturing Mosul, the largest city presently under ISIS control, with spokesman Col. Steve Warren saying the trainers will be offering new types of training ahead of the attack.

Col. Warren said the hopethat that some of the trainers would come from other countries, though recent reports have suggested that some nations have turned down those requests, and the US is expected, as usual, to provide most of the forces.

Pentagon officials have previously indicated the expectation is to capture both Mosul and Raqqa this year, though this is considered wildly optimistic, and there is no official timetable for even attempting to attack Mosul.

Adding more troops, even “trainers,” is likely to also be difficult to sell to the Abadi government, which is facing growing criticism for allowing as many US troops as are already on the ground into the country after the bloody 2003-2012 occupation.

http://news.antiwar.com/2016/01/20/pentagon-hundreds-more-trainers-needed-for-isis-war-in-iraq/