Barack Obama sends more troops to Iraq

US President Barack Obama has announced he will be sending a further 1,500 troops to assist in the Iraq conflict.

The move will roughly double American on-the-ground troop numbers.

The additional troops will include advisers who will assist Iraqi forces in operations against ISIL.

But the White House has ruled out any chance of the additional troops being introduced to combat.

However, US officials would not rule out the possibility of sending more troops in addition to those announced on Friday.