US Expanding Special Operations Force In Iraq

The United States is expanding its special operations force in Iraq to bolster the fight against Islamic State militants, Pentagon chief Ash Carter has said.

The special operators will work with Iraqi and Kurdish forces to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence and capture IS leaders, Mr Carter told the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

He did not specify the exact number of elite forces that will deploy but said it will be "larger" than a separate force of up to 50 operators deployed to aid US-backed rebels in Syria.

The US defence chief described the new deployment as a "specialised expeditionary targeting force", and said their primary focus will be on defending Iraq's borders and building the capacity of Iraqi government forces.

However, he added the operators will be in a position to conduct "unilateral operations into Syria" as needed.

The announcement comes as President Barack Obama faces increasing pressure to boost the US-led effort to combat the extremist group, particularly in the wake of the deadly Paris attacks.

Mr Carter told lawmakers the US military is "eager" to do more in Syria to fight IS.

He said the current US special operations force in Syria was "for starters", adding: "If we find more forces that we can enable in this way we're prepared to do more ... I have every reason to believe the President will allow us to do more and authorise us to do more when we have more opportunities."

The Obama administration has been reluctant to put a large number of troops on the ground in Syria and Iraq, and has instead focused on employing smaller, advisory forces and conducting air raids.

There currently are about 3,500 US troops in Iraq.

Mr Carter has been signalling a possible escalation of US military action in the war-torn region.

In October, US special forces took part in a ground operation to rescue IS hostages in northern Iraq, which resulted in the first US combat death in Iraq since 2011 .

Mr Carter said the US also plans to expand attacks on IS infrastructure and the group's sources of revenue.

He said: "In addition to destroying fixed facilities like wells and processing facilities, we've destroyed nearly 400 of ISIL's oil tanker trucks, reducing a major source of its daily revenues. There's more to come, too."