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Congress debates greater US role in Iraq

Lawmakers are putting pressure on President Barack Obama to rethink Islamic State strategy after fall of Ramadi.
U.S. Army General Martin Dempsey (L) speaks during news conference with Iraq's Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi in Baghdad March 9, 2015.  REUTERS/Ahmed Saad (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR4SM9Z

Calls for US troops to return to a combat role in Iraq are growing in Congress following the fall of Ramadi.

Witnesses testifying before the Senate Armed Services panel May 21 all agreed that the current strategy is failing and that the United States must work closely with Sunni fighters battling the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS). They stopped short of endorsing a surge in combat troops — a nonstarter after the 2003 invasion — but argued for a boost in the number of US advisers and a substantial increase in their role.

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