Obama Orders 1,500 Troops to Iraq

President Obama directed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel Nov. 7 to deploy 1,500 more U.S. troops to Iraq, to counter the increasing threat to the country posed by Islamic State fighters. Pentagon spokesman Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said the additional troops would not conduct combat missions. Rather, Kirby said, about 630 of them would serve to advise and assist Iraqi troops. The remaining 870 would conduct logistics and force-protection missions. The deployment would require Congress to provide additional funding.