Advertisement

Obama Authorizes New Troops To Iraq, But What Will They Do?

04:57
Download Audio
Resume
U.S. Army trainers watch as an Iraqi recruit fires at a military base on April 12, 2015 in Taji, Iraq. U.S. forces, currently operating in 5 large bases throughout the country, are training thousands of Iraqi Army combat troops, trying to rebuild a force they had originally trained before the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq in 2010. Members of the U.S. Army's 5-73 CAV, 3BCT, 82nd Airborne Division are teaching members of the newly-formed 15th Division of the Iraqi Army, as the Iraqi government launches offensives to try to recover territory lost to ISIS last year. (John Moore/Getty Images)
U.S. Army trainers watch as an Iraqi recruit fires at a military base on April 12, 2015 in Taji, Iraq. U.S. forces, currently operating in 5 large bases throughout the country, are training thousands of Iraqi Army combat troops, trying to rebuild a force they had originally trained before the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq in 2010. Members of the U.S. Army's 5-73 CAV, 3BCT, 82nd Airborne Division are teaching members of the newly-formed 15th Division of the Iraqi Army, as the Iraqi government launches offensives to try to recover territory lost to ISIS last year. (John Moore/Getty Images)

President Obama's administration will train Sunni tribal fighters, and send up to 450 additional U.S. forces to Iraq, the White House said Wednesday. The U.S. troops will be military trainers, but they could still be considered "boots on the ground" in Iraq.

What exactly do these trainers do? And will they be in harm's way? Here & Now's Lisa Mullins speaks with Tom Bowman, NPR's Pentagon correspondent.

Guest

This segment aired on June 11, 2015.

Related

Advertisement

More from Here & Now

Listen Live
Close