Defense

Iraq conflict expected to be long

The Pentagon has warned Congress that the long, drawn-out military campaign against Islamic State militants is just beginning and could expand to include modest...

Federal News Radio Custom Media@WTOPWFEDcustom

November 14, 2014 9:19 am

< a min read

The Pentagon has warned Congress that the long, drawn-out military campaign against Islamic State militants is just beginning and could expand to include modest numbers of U.S. forces fighting alongside Iraqi troops. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivered a cautious assessment of the progress in the three-month-old war against Islamic extremists who brutally rule large sections of Iraq and Syria. President Barack Obama is seeking congressional approval for $5.6 billion to expand the U.S. mission in Iraq and send up to 1,500 more American troops.