US may send 100 special forces commandos to Baghdad, says official

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States is considering deploying 100 special operations troops to advise the Iraqi army in its defence of Baghdad from Sunni extremists, a US defence official said on Thursday.

The president is "leaning" toward a limited course of action that would "embed" the commandos - already at the ready in the region - with Iraqi forces but not call for US bombing raids, the official told AFP.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.