US renews training of elite Iraqi forces in Kingdom

WASHINGTON — The United States is resuming training for elite Iraqi soldiers in Jordan, a US official said on Wednesday, as Washington seeks to bolster US support for the Iraqi government’s battle against Islamist militants.

A small number of US special forces will take part in a training exchange in Jordan with Iraqi counterterrorism forces beginning in early June, a US defence official said on condition of anonymity.

The programme is similar to an initial counterterrorism training course US forces held with Iraqi and Jordanian forces in Jordan earlier this year, and will involve a total of 50 soldiers from the United States, Iraq and Jordan, the official said.

“ISIL is our enemy as well as Iraq’s, and we want to continue supporting them in this fight,” the official said, referring to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an Al Qaeda-inspired group leading insurgencies in Iraq and Syria.

In part, the additional counterterrorism training signals the Obama administration’s continued fears about spiralling violence in Iraq, where bloodshed has returned to levels not seen since the height of the sectarian conflict that followed the US-led invasion in 2003.

It also underscores fears about extremist activity across the region that officials believe has been fuelled by the war in Syria.

The Obama administration is also providing sophisticated weaponry such as Apache attack helicopters to Iraq to help the government of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, a member of Iraq’s Shiite majority, target a Sunni insurgency that had largely died down when US troops withdrew at the end of 2011.

Following national elections last month, Maliki is now seeking to secure a third term. The results of the elections will not be clear for weeks.

The Obama administration is also expanding the number of intelligence officers in Iraq and has been studying how it can counter growing violence by ISIL.

Reuters reported in January that US officials were considering supporting training of elite Iraqi forces in a third country.

Washington’s response to surging violence and sectarian tensions in Iraq has been limited by a reluctance to further empower Maliki, who critics say has bullied opponents, and a desire to ensure that US soldiers do not become embroiled again in a Middle Eastern conflict.

The training is one modest measure of additional security assistance the United States can provide without conducting larger military activities within Iraq, which would require a Status of Forces Agreement.