Thread: 350 more troops to be sent to Iraq to protect American diplomatic facilities

White House: President Obama OKs request for 350 more troops to be sent to Iraq to protect American diplomatic facilities and personnel.

Obama signs off on request for more U.S. troops in Baghdad

By Jomana Karadsheh, CNN
updated 8:22 PM EDT, Tue September 2, 2014


Iraqi families demand answers
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Obama approves request for more U.S. troops in Baghdad, White House says
• Scores storm the Iraqi parliament building
• Families want to know the whereabouts of loved ones after a June ISIS attack near Tikrit
• ISIS overran a base formerly known as Camp Speicher and says it killed 1,700 Iraqi forces

Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- [Breaking news alert, 8:21 p.m.]
U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday authorized a request for an additional 350 troops to be sent to Iraq to protect American diplomatic facilities and personnel in Baghdad, according to a statement released by the White House. "The request he approved today will allow some previously deployed military personnel to depart Iraq, while at the same time providing a more robust, sustainable security force for our personnel and facilities in Baghdad," the statement said.

[Original story published at 6:39 p.m. ET]
Iraqi military families storm parliament, demand answers after ISIS slaughter

The families of Iraqi military members attacked by ISIS in June stormed parliament in Baghdad Tuesday, demanding more information about the fate of their loved ones, a parliamentary official told CNN.

More than 100 family members clashed with security before entering the building, located in the International Zone, commonly known as the Green Zone. They vandalized the interior and became aggressive with people inside, the official said.

They are refusing to leave until their concerns are addressed.

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The families are angry over the lack of information about the victims of an alleged massacre of Iraqi forces and cadets near Tikrit, when a military base formerly known as Camp Speicher was overrun by ISIS in June.

In recent weeks, family members of the recruits have been protesting outside the International Zone. Some have met with lawmakers.

They want the bodies of their sons returned to them for burial, and they want the missing to be brought back.

The killings at Camp Speicher are among the worst atrocities claimed by ISIS in Iraq. The group, which refers to itself as the "Islamic State," said it killed 1,700 Iraqi forces, but no official figures have been released.

A senior health official told CNN at the time that more than 1,000 families have registered that they had sons at the camp.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/02/world/meast/iraq-isis-parliament/index.html