The first of 130 U.S. troops have arrived in Baghdad, according to the Pentagon.
Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said that the first 40 were already in Iraq, assigned to the Office of Security Cooperation. The Special Operations troops were "re-missioned" and began working today as the first two assessment teams.
Another 90 military personnel arrived in Baghdad today to begin setting up the Baghdad Joint Operations Center. These troops were deployed from around the Central Command area of operations, and include Special Operations troops, intelligence analysts, logisticians, IT support, etc. — from all the U.S. armed services, not just the Army.
Approximately 50 more troops will deploy to Iraq in the next few days and will form the next four assessment teams, officials said.
Kirby also said that the U.S. is now flying between 30 to 35 ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) flights per day around Iraq.
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