US Deploys 3,000 Troops to the Middle East as War Concern Grows

President Donald Trump is seemly planning to send nearly 3,000 additional troops to the Middle East after the U.S. airstrike in Baghdad which killed Irani General Qassem Soleimani.

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The troops would be joining 750 forces that were sent to Kuwait earlier this week. Since May, however, the U.S. has already dispatched about 14,000 additional troops to the region.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

For his part, Iraqui general Othman al-Ghanmi​​​​​​​ said his country "is ready for any of the consequences" that the US attack might bring about.​​​​​​​

Moments before, Iraq's President Barham Salih condemned the military action that the Trump administration carried out in his territory.

"Iraq must first put its national interest and avoid the tragedies of the armed conflict that have plagued it for four decades," Salih said, asking his people "to be united to protect the national interest, sovereignty, and security."

The U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi Friday complained that the U.S. attack on Iraqi territory was carried out without consulting Congress.

“The Trump Administration has conducted strikes in Iraq targeting high-level Iranian military officials and killing Iranian Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani without an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iran," Pelosi said.

“The full Congress must be immediately briefed on this serious situation and the next steps under consideration by the Administration, including the significant escalation of the deployment of additional troops to the region.”

The House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel was also very concerned about the unpredictable consequences of Trump's decision to order the killing of General Soleimani.

"I will not regret his death. However, many will consider him a martyr, I am very concerned about the impact of the attack," the congressman said on Thursday.