President Donald Trump gestures while speaking at the Republican congressional retreat in Philadelphia, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) (The Associated Press)
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is expected to ask the Pentagon on Friday for options to accelerate the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
Current and former U.S. officials say the options probably will include several the Obama administration considered but didn't act on — from adding significantly more troops to bolstering military aid to Kurdish fighters.
Trump's visit to the Defense Department's headquarters will start the conversation over how to fulfill his pledge to eradicate radical Islamic terrorism "completely from the face of the Earth."
Officials familiar with the ongoing discussions say possible options include sending in more Apache helicopters and giving the U.S. military broader authority to made routine combat decisions.
The officials weren't authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.
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