The United Kingdom will deploy hundreds of troops to Iraq in the coming year to train Iraqi and Kurdish forces -- the country 's latest contribution to the fight against ISIS -- British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon told The Telegraph newspaper . The British have participated in a multinational airstrike campaign against ISIS in Iraq for months , but sending troops to train Iraqis and Kurds increases Britain 's military involvement there . The United Kingdom has n't had a significant ground troop presence in Iraq since 2011 , the same year the United States withdrew its forces following a 2003 invasion to topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein . British troops will begin training Iraqi and Kurdish forces in January , Fallon told the Telegraph for a story published Saturday . The number of troops has n't been finalized , `` but we are talking very low hundreds , '' Fallon told the Telegraph . `` Our role now , apart from the airstrikes , is increasingly going to be on training , '' Fallon said . The British Ministry of Defense told CNN on Saturday that Fallon 's comments reported by the Telegraph were accurate , and that details about he deployment still were being determined . ISIS : Sex slaves are OK . The United States has hundreds of troops already in Iraq , training , advising and assisting Iraqi and Kurdish forces . In November , President Barack Obama said he was planning to send up to an additional 1,500 troops for that purpose . In October , the United States had more than 1,400 troops in Iraq , in addition to hundreds more aboard ships and in nearby countries who were helping to carry out airstrikes in Iraq . The Iraqi military and Kurdish militias have been battling ISIS , the militant group that calls itself the `` Islamic State . '' The Sunni Muslim extremist group captured portions of Syria and Iraq this year in its bid to establish what it says is an independent Islamic nation . ISIS shoots down Iraqi helicopter , killing 2 , official says . ISIS fighters shot down an Iraqi army helicopter in the north-central Iraqi city of Samarra this week , killing two pilots , a military command officer told CNN on Saturday . The incident happened Friday afternoon in southern Samarra , about 80 miles ( 129 kilometers ) north-northwest of Baghdad . The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the news media . The helicopter attack came two days after a suicide truck bombing killed at least nine people , including Iraqi soldiers , outside a military base in Samarra .
British troops to start training Iraqi , Kurdish forces in Iraq in January , official says . Comment: Attack came two days after suicide truck bombing killed at least 9 people in Samarra .