US President Barack Obama makes a statement at Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, on August 20, 2014. (AFP)

The U.S. State Department has requested additional military personnel to provide security in Iraq, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.The request for additional military personnel, which would include fewer than 300 people, has not yet been approved, the official said on condition of anonymity.

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The U.S. military has already sent more than 800 soldiers to Iraq since Islamic State fighters took over much of the country's north in June.