Defense Secretary Ash Carter in a surprise visit to Baghdad on Monday announced the U.S. would send an additional 560 troops to Iraq to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

The new deployment brings the official number of U.S. troops authorized in Iraq to 4,647, but there are hundreds more U.S. troops in Iraq who are not part of that official count.

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"At every step in this campaign, we have generated and seized additional opportunities to hasten ISIL's lasting defeat," Carter said, using another acronym for ISIS. "These additional U.S. forces will bring unique capabilities to the campaign and provide critical enabler support to Iraqi forces at a key moment in the fight."

The new troops are being sent in preparation to retake Mosul, ISIS's stronghold in Iraq. The forces will provide support for Iraqi forces at a "strategic airfield" near the town of Qayyarah, according to the Pentagon.

"As the campaign shifts toward Mosul, more than 250 miles from the Iraqi capital, the airfield will become a vital springboard for the ISF offensive into Mosul. Coalition forces will also continue to provide enabler support to Kurdish Peshmerga as they converge on Mosul from Iraq's north," it said.

The Pentagon said the additional forces were recommended by Carter and approved by President Obama after consultation with Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command; and Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, commander of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Carter also said the U.S. is prepared to step up its efforts to help vetted Syrian forces willing to take on ISIS, though he did not specify how. Currently, the president has authorized 300 U.S. troops in Syria.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) blasted the increase of 560 troops, saying the administration is keeping the number as low as possible for political reasons.

"The war against ISIS and Islamic Extremists cannot be won by inches, and I am concerned that operational needs in Iraq and Syria are taking a back seat to troop levels the White House finds politically palatable," he said.

He also called on the president to submit a request for more war funding to pay for the newest deployment, along with a request to leave nearly 3,000 more troops than anticipated in Afghanistan.

"Those deployments can only be fully supported through a supplemental budget request. I look forward to reviewing the President’s request when he sends it to Congress, as I believe he now must," he added.

- Updated at 1:17 p.m.