More U.S. forces arrive in Baghdad, two-star general leads effort

WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - Another 50 U.S. special operations forces have arrived in Baghdad under the newly appointed command of a two-star general as the U.S. military steadily ramps up an advisory mission aimed at helping Iraq battle back Sunni militants, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

The Pentagon said the first of two planned Joint Operations Centers in Iraq had also become activated, bolstering its ability to oversee U.S. teams and gather information about the situation on the ground, including about Iraq's security forces.

"It will of course serve as a fusion center where information that's coming in from the various teams can be consolidated and it can be analyzed," said Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman.

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Information they provide will be complemented by information gleamed by regular manned and unmanned reconnaissance flights over Iraq - about 30 to 35 per day according to the Pentagon.

Obama has not ruled out additional action in Iraq, including air strikes.

The Iraq advise-and-assist mission was put under the command of Major General Dana Pittard, who is leading the newly named "Joint Forces Land Component Command, Iraq," the Pentagon said.

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