Local Editor

Britain will double its deployment of troops to train Iraqi and Kurdish forces fighting the terrorist group, defense minister Michael Fallon told reporters Wednesday.

The additional 250 troops will put the total number of the British military at more than 500, Fallon told reporters on Wednesday in his first visit to the US since the forming of the new British government.

"We will be sending an additional 250 troops into the theater over the next few weeks," Fallon said. "Other countries are being asked to look for their contribution to see what more they can do."

Fallon was in the United States to take part at a meeting of the so-called Global Coalition to Counter "ISIL".

According to the British government's official website, British forces "have helped train 19,000 Iraqi troops to tackle Daesh [Arabic acronym for 'ISIS' / 'ISIL'."

The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by gruesome violence ever since Daesh terrorists began a campaign of terror in the country in June 2014.

The US-led aerial campaign against alleged Daesh positions in Iraq started in August 2014. Many have criticized the ineffectiveness of the raids.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team