PARIS – Defence Secretary Ash Carter says he wants coalition and other Arab countries to “greatly” increase the number of trainers they provide for Iraqi security forces and police and adds that that the U.S. will also look at boosting its numbers.
Carter says the U.S. is open to doing more when there is an opportunity “to make a difference.” Yet he says that there is no reason why the U.S. should be doing all of the additional training.
He adds that the 200-person special commando force in Iraq has not yet started operations.
READ MORE: Canada left out of international anti-ISIS coalition meeting in Paris
Carter spoke Tuesday to reporters as he travelled to Paris for a meeting with several defence ministers, most of them from Europe. Canada’s Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan was not invited to the meeting.
The U.S. has more than 3,300 troops in Iraq.
With a file from Global News
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