Britain is to expand its military training mission in Iraq in the coming weeks, Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Sunday, saying the Iraqi army needed more help to deal with improvised bombs planted by Islamic State militants.
Cameron, speaking before a meeting of the Group of Seven industrial nations (G7), said Britain would send 125 new military advisers to Iraq, most of whom would train the Iraqi army in how to counter improvised explosive devices or IEDs.
That will take the total number of British military trainers in Iraq up to 275, officials said, and the overall number of British personnel engaged in various roles against Islamic State across the region up to around 900.
“We’re already the second largest contributor in terms of air strikes in Iraq, and support for the Syrian opposition,” Cameron told reporters at the G7 in Germany.
“But I’m announcing today that we’re increasing our training effort in Iraq. It’s a particular request the Abadi government has made, it’s a particular thing we’ve been working with the Americans on.”
Cameron was due to brief US President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on the plans at the G7. He was also expected to discuss with Obama what more Britain can do to help train moderate Syrian opposition forces in locations outside Syria such as Turkey.
Britain and US can train Iraq soldiers but cannot give them the courage they need to meet the enemies at wartime.It reminds me the time when Iraqi invited Hazrat Imam Hussain(RA). Imam(RA) in turn sen his cousin to observer the situation and then thousands of Iraqi did "Bayat" to him. When moment of test came no one was there except Imam.s(RA) cousin who was left alone to be "Shaheed".
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