US military could open another base in Iraq: official

WASHINGTON: The US military could open another base to support Iraqi security forces as they look towards isolating the city of Mosul, a senior US military official said on Wednesday.

Joint Staff Vice Director for Operations Rear Admiral Andrew Lewis told reporters that "there may be a situation in which there is another base that is opened or reopened from years passed that would be used in the same manner as a fire support base."

Lewis did not provide further details. Last month it was announced that a fledgling US base in northern Iraq came under attack from Islamic State.

Firebase Bell, as the artillery outpost is called, is the first independent US base of its kind in Iraq since the return of American forces to the country in 2014 and is the latest sign of deepening US military involvement in the conflict.