US assigns 350 more troops to Iraq

The U.S. is adding 350 more troops to protect the American Embassy in Baghdad and its support facilities in the capital, raising the number of U.S. forces in the country to over 1,000, officials said on Tuesday.

President Barack Obama approved the additional troops for protection of American personnel following a request by the State Department and a review and recommendation by the Defense Department, the White House said in a statement.

The buildup of U.S. troops in Baghdad follows the growing threat from Islamic State militants in northern Iraq. Since early August the U.S. has carried out 124 airstrikes against the militants, the latest taking place near Mosul Dam on Monday.

The White House announcement came on the day Islamic State released a video purporting to show the beheading of a second American hostage, journalist Steven Sotloff.

"The president has made clear his commitment to doing whatever is required to provide the necessary security for U.S. personnel and facilities around the world," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement.

The White House said Obama would be consulting this week with NATO allies on additional actions to take against Islamic State forces and "to develop a broad-based international coalition to implement a comprehensive strategy to protect our people and to support our partners" against the group. He left Washington on Tuesday to visit Estonia and then attend a NATO summit in Wales.

The additional troops will not serve in a combat role, the White House said. Most are from the Army and some are Marines, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Approximately 820 troops have now been assigned to augment diplomatic security in Iraq, said Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon's spokesman. Fifty-five troops in Baghdad since June, when 275 were deployed, will be redeployed outside Iraq and replaced by 405 newly deployed troops, he said.

Wire services