Army Times: 1,000 paratroopers to deploy to Iraq

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About 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division will deploy to Iraq in late January, the Defense Department announced Friday.

The soldiers from 3rd Brigade Combat Team will train, advise and assist Iraqi security forces as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, said Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby during a briefing Friday.

The paratroopers are preparing to deploy for a nine-month tour.

An additional 300 troops from all the services, most of them enablers, also will deploy soon, Kirby said.

The deployment of these 1,300 troops is part of a 1,500-troop increase authorized in November by President Obama as the U.S. expands its fight against the Islamic State.

There are about 1,600 troops in Iraq now, including the 1st Infantry Division headquarters.

"I'm very proud of the paratroopers of the 3rd BCT," said Maj. Gen. Richard Clarke, the commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division, in a statement. "They have extensive knowledge and experience in training and are disciplined and ready soldiers. They are a dedicated group who will share the high training standards and tactical expertise of leaders in the 82nd Airborne Division to train and assist the Iraqi Security Forces and enable them to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant."

Also deploying from the 3rd BCT, 82nd Airborne are about 250 paratroopers from 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. These soldiers, whose deployment was announced previously, are expected to deploy in late December. They are not part of the 1,500-troop increase. Instead, they are expected to replace troops already in theater.

These soldiers also are slated for a nine-month deployment.

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