(VOVworld) – The United States will send an additional 560 military personnel to Iraq to assist in its fight against the Islamic State, visiting Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced on Monday.

Iraqi Defense Secretary Khalid al-Obaidi met with US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter in Baghdad (Photo: EPA)

The increase will bring the total number of American soldiers in Iraq, most of whom are in advisory or training roles, to more than 4,600. The Pentagon said the additional troops will provide infrastructure and logistic support for Iraqi security forces at an airfield near Qayyarah.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on Saturday that government forces had retaken the Qayyarah airbase, 60 kilometers south of Mosul, which had been under IS control since June 2014. The Pentagon said the base can serve as a launchpad for future operations to recapture Mosul.