Pentagon says US military 'advisers' are fighting inside Mosul

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The US military spokesman for the coalition against ISIS in Iraq and Syria acknowledged on Wednesday that American military advisors have been knee deep in the offensive to retake the city of Mosul.

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"They have been in the city at different times, yes," Col. John Dorrian, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, told reporters, according to ABC News. Though, he said, "they've advised Iraqi Security Forces as they've moved forward. They remain behind the forward line of troops."

The battle to retake Mosul began in October, and Iraqi forces have encountered fierce resistance and significant casualties. For example, Iraq's elite "Golden Brigade" of special operations troops have suffered upwards of "50 percent casualties" in the fight, which could eventually make them combat ineffective, according to a Pentagon officer who spoke with Politico.

Casualties have also hit US forces as well. Since October, the number of Americans wounded in combat has nearly doubled since OIR kicked off in August 2014.

That's likely due to US forces working more closely with their Iraqi counterparts. Though US officials have often downplayed the role of American troops in the region as merely training, advising, and assisting Iraqi forces, the latest situation report from the Institute for the Study of War says that US and coalition forces have "embedded their advisors at lower-levels in the [Iraqi Security Forces]."

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In other words, US special operations forces are often not remaining behind the front lines - especially considering a "front line" in the anti-ISIS fight is murky at best - but instead, are right in the thick of it with Iraqi troops.

The military has more than 5,000 troops on the ground in Iraq currently, a number which has steadily crept up since roughly 300 troops were deployed to secure the Baghdad airport in June 2014.

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