US President Barack Obama has approved sending up to 1,500 additional troops to Iraq to train Baghdad government and Kurdish forces fighting ISIL, roughly doubling the number of US troops in the country, the White House said

US President Barack Obama has approved sending up to 1,500 additional troops to Iraq to train Baghdad government and Kurdish forces fighting ISIL, roughly doubling the number of US troops in the country, the White House said Friday.

"As a part of our strategy for strengthening partners on the ground, President Obama today authorized the deployment of up to 1,500 additional US military personnel in a non-combat role to train, advise, and assist Iraqi Security Forces, including Kurdish forces," it said.