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Pentagon wants to build new US facilities in Iraq, Syria

The Trump administration has asked Congress for the authority to build new “small-scale,” “temporary facilities” to help defeat the Islamic State.
Vehicles of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division line up for the departure of the final convoy of U.S. military forces out of Iraq at Camp Adder near Nasiriyah, Iraq on December 17, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/Pool (IRAQ - Tags: MILITARY CONFLICT POLITICS) - RTR2VDWN
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The Donald Trump administration is pushing Congress for the authority to build new “temporary” facilities in Iraq and Syria as part of the US-led campaign against the Islamic State.

In a policy statement released Tuesday night, the White House argues that US troops are hamstrung by legal restrictions on their ability to expand US military infrastructure “in both Iraq and Syria.” The administration wants lawmakers to extend existing authorities that only cover the “repair and renovation” of facilities to also encompass “temporary intermediate staging facilities, ammunition supply points, and assembly areas that have adequate force protection.”

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