As U.S. troops\u00a0begin rebuilding a key Iraqi airfield outside of the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul, U.S. military officials say the size of the American force in Iraq may continue to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. troops are focusing on the\u00a0battered airfield that\u00a0which <\/span>the Iraqis captured last week\u00a0from the Islamic State militants, also known as ISIS or ISIL. The air field is\u00a0about 50 miles south of Mosul.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The airfield near the Tigris River town of Qayara is now known as Qayara West. After the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, the airfield was home to a U.S. Army brigade headquarters and was known as “FOB Endurance.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n An assessment team of U.S. troops visited the airfield this week and found it “badly damaged,” but its key location will make it a major supply hub for the Iraqi army’s eventual invasion of Mosul, said Air Force Col. Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other U.S. troops will likely arrive soon, including “engineers who can go onto the airfield and enable runway operations,” Ryder said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, the U.S will soon send in troops to provide security for those engineers and a communications unit. “All those things that are required to open and maintain an airfield,” Ryder told reporters Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The total size of the U.S. force in Iraq\u00a0may continue to grow as the American-backed Iraqi forces prepare for a final assault on Mosul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “As we continue on the mission, I think there will be some additional troops that we will ask to bring in,” U.S. Army General Joseph Votel told Reuters news agency during a recent trip to BaghdadBahdad<\/span>. He did not speculate on a specific number of troops.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n