800 U.S. troops deployed to Basra

BASRA, Iraq, April 24 (UPI) -- Reports from Basra say the U.S. military force there grew by 800 troops in order to support Iraqi military operations in the southern port city.

British forces handed security operations over to their Iraqi counterparts in Basra in December; until then, the U.S. military had a small footprint in the area.

But when Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ramped up the pressure against militants in the area in late March, the overwhelmed Iraqi military left U.S. and British forces little option but to come to the rescue, The Financial Times said Thursday.

The Times report says that in addition to U.S. Special Forces already stations in Basra, U.S. officials deployed an additional 800 troops to act in a supporting role to the Iraqi military.

There are about 150 British troops serving with the U.S. military as well.