Obama “doubled down” on the battle against ISIS. What does it mean to “double down” and what kinds of expressions are used in military politic? Read the article (alone or with your Cambly tutor) and practice military-related expressions like Draw up plans, deploy, sweep into, coalition, bombardment.

[World News★★]Obama Just Doubled Down On The Battle Against ISIS

(P1) WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The US military has drawn up plans to significantly increase the number of American forces in Iraq, which now total around 1,400, as Washington seeks to bolster Iraqi forces battling the Islamic State, US officials told Reuters on Friday.

(P2) The United States aims to help advise and train Iraqi and Kurdish forces battling Islamic State fighters who swept into much of northern Iraq.

(P3) According to a statement from the Pentagon, “The commander-in-chief has authorized Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to deploy to Iraq up to 1,500 additional US personnel over the coming months, in a non-combat role, to expand our advise and assist mission and initiate a comprehensive training effort for Iraqi forces.”

(P4) This deployment will “accommodate the training of 12 Iraqi brigades,” including 9 from the Iraqi Army and 3 from the Kurdish Peshmerga, the paramilitary of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government.

(P5) The decision was made “based on the request of the Government of Iraq, US Central Command’s assessment of Iraqi units,” and “the progress Iraqi security forces have made in the field.”

(P6) This doubling of the US’s ground presence in Iraq would come at a time when the American-led coalition in the country has made ambiguous progress in the fight against ISIS. Heavy aerial bombardment against ISIS positions outside of Kobane have managed to prevent the group from taking over the fiercely contested town, which sits on the Turkish-Syrian border.

(P7) Here are the latest positions of US airstrikes against ISIS, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Military Edge project:

(P8) But ISIS is consolidating its gains in the heavily-Sunni Anbar Province of western Iraq, where it has carried out massacres against the Albu Nimr, a Sunni tribe whose militia had been fighting against jihadists in the region since 2004. And last month, Obama reportedly sent a letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, suggesting that cooperation against ISIS could help smooth the way to an eventual nuclear deal.

WORDS: 324

SOURCE: HTTP://WWW.BUSINESSINSIDER.COM/R-EXCLUSIVE-US-MAY-SIGNIFICANTLY-HIKE-NUMBER-OF-TROOPS-IN-IRAQ—SOURCES-2014-11

VOCAB: [W022B] OBAMA DOUBLEDOWNS_VOCAB

TO PRINT: [W022B] OBAMA DOUBLEDOWNS

Discussion Questions

If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.

1. Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
2. What was the decision made by the Pentagon (P2-3)? What is the purpose of this measure taken?
3. What does the author mean by “Obama just doubled down”? What kinds of risks are we talking about here?
4. “Obama reportedly sent a letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei, suggesting that cooperation against ISIS could help smooth the way to an eventual nuclear deal. (P8)” Explain what this sentence means.

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