FORT LEE, Va. (AP) – President Barack Obama traveled to a Virginia military base on Wednesday to thank military personnel for their service as the administration announced it was sending an additional 600 troops to Iraq to help local forces prepare for a coming offensive against the Islamic State group.
While at Fort Lee, Obama was also participating in a town hall-style event that was airing Wednesday night on CNN.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said during the short flight to the Army post that the additional troops would focus on logistics, but also advise and assist the Iraqi military. Earnest had said earlier that the visit by Obama, who has endorsed and is campaigning to elect Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, was not intended as a political one.
Earnest said the president shouldn’t avoid traveling to military installations during election years.
“If anything, in the midst of an election year, we should have all that much more appreciation for the service and sacrifice that’s made by our men and women in uniform and their families,” Earnest said.
Obama occasionally makes such thank-you visits, mostly recently meeting with troops at Naval Station Rota during a July trip to Spain. Similar stops have taken place over the years at bases in Texas, California and New Jersey, among others. The visits allow Obama to speak with some of the soldiers who have served in harm’s way during his presidency, most notably in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Obama came into office with the U.S. in the midst of wars in both of those countries. In Iraq, he steadily lowered troop levels and declared on Aug. 31, 2010, that their combat mission was ending, though about 4,650 troops remain in an advise-and-assist role. In Afghanistan, Obama increased troop levels, which peaked at about 100,000 in 2010 before a steady reduction. About 8,400 troops are expected to remain in Afghanistan through the end of his administration in January. They have two missions: training and advising Afghan forces, and supporting counter-terrorism operations.
Meanwhile, the U.S. leads a coalition of 60-plus nations working to defeat the Islamic State group, which has footholds in Syria, Iraq and Libya.