The United States is considering building more US military bases in Iraq to drive back Islamic State militants in a move that may require a further increase in American forces, the top US general said on June 11.
A day after the White House announced the deployment of 450 more US troops to Iraq and a new training hub in Anbar province, Army General Martin Dempsey said the Pentagon was considering more sites in strategic areas such as the corridor from Baghdad to Tikrit and further north toward Mosul.
Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged these might require sending more US troops, which already numbered about 3,100 in Iraq before June 10's announcement. His spokesman said American forces could also be moved from within Iraq to avoid troop increases.
"Our campaign is built upon establishing these ‘lily pads,’ if you will, that allow us to continue to encourage the Iraqi security forces forward," Dempsey told reporters before landing in Naples, Italy.
US President Barack Obama has said the troops would not engage in combat in Iraq, where the Pentagon has relied heavily on an air campaign that US officials say has killed thousands of Islamic State fighters and eroded their capability.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters there were "no immediate or specific plans" to add new bases in Iraq.
Dempsey also renewed the possibility of deploying US spotters alongside Iraqi forces to call in air strikes during a future offensive, but added, "we’re just not there yet."
