U.S. mulls building military hubs in Iraq

(Vatican Radio/Reuters) The United States is considering building more U.S. military bases in Iraq to drive back Islamic State militants in a move that may require a further increase in American forces.

The White House announced Wednesday the deployment of 450 more U.S. troops to Iraq and a new training hub in Anbar province.   Army General Martin Dempsey said the Pentagon was considering more sites in strategic areas such as the corridor from Baghdad to Tikrit and further north toward Mosul.

Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged these might require sending more U.S. troops, which already numbered about 3,100 in Iraq before Wednesday's announcement.  His spokesman said American forces could also be moved from within Iraq to avoid troop increases.

"Our campaign is built upon establishing these 'lily pads,' if you will, that allow us to continue to encourage the Iraqi security forces forward," Dempsey told reporters before landing in Naples, Italy.

U.S. President Barack Obama has said the troops would not engage in combat in Iraq, where the Pentagon has relied heavily on an air campaign that U.S. officials say has killed thousands of Islamic State fighters and eroded their capability.

While the 3,100 U.S. forces in Iraq are a far cry from the peak of about 170,000 under President George W. Bush, the newly announced operations mark the first significant adjustment in Obama's Iraqi strategy in months and follow gains by IslamicState insurgents who control a third each of Iraq and Syria.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters there were
"no immediate or specific plans" to add new bases in Iraq.

Dempsey said it would take several weeks to establish the new hub announced on Wednesday at Taqaddum near Ramadi, which fell to Islamic State militants last month.