Push for more US troops in Iraq

WASHINGTON (AP):

The Pentagon is moving to increase the number of American troops in Iraq amid strikes that have killed the Islamic State's finance minister and other senior leaders.

Defence Secretary Ash Carter said last Friday that the US progress in eliminating members of the IS "cabinet" was hampering its ability to conduct and inspire attacks against the West.

The announcement came as the battle to retake the Syrian city of Palmyra entered its third day and Iraqi forces continued their march to recapture Mosul.

A suicide bombing in a soccer stadium south of Baghdad, last Friday killing nearly 30 people, underscored the difficult fight ahead.