Obama approves sending 1,500 more US troops to Iraq: Report

US President Barack Obama has approved sending up to 1,500 additional U.S. troops to Iraq, which is twice the number being deployed to help Iraqi forces fight the Islamic State, according to a Pentagon statement released Friday.

The new deployment will double the US presence in Iraq, with soldiers expected to arrive in the next few weeks.

"The commander in chief has authorized Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to deploy to Iraq up to 1,500 additional U.S. personnel over the coming months, in a non-combat role, to expand our advise and assist mission and initiate a comprehensive training effort for Iraqi forces," said Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby.

According to the Pentagon, the US troops were requested by the Iraqi government. 

"[Defense] Secretary Hagel made this recommendation to President Obama based on the request of the Government of Iraq, U.S. Central Command's assessment of Iraqi units," said Kirby.

The increased number of troops will allow the U.S. to spread its forces to additional locations across Iraq.

According to the report,  the deployment of the new non-combat force in Iraq will include establishing two "expeditionary advise and assist operations centers," outside Baghdad and Erbil.

"U.S. Central Command will establish several sites across Iraq that will accommodate the training of 12 Iraqi brigades, specifically nine Iraqi army and three Peshmerga brigades. These sites will be located in northern, western, and southern Iraq," read Kirby's statement.

An estimated 1,400 U.S. troops are now on the ground, just below the previous limit of 1,600 troops. The new authorization gives the U.S. military the ability to deploy up to 3,100 troops, according to a Reuters report released Friday.