The U.S. military will place more than 600 additional troops in Iraq to support local forces in the upcoming battle to recapture the key city of Mosul from the Islamic State, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said that President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had approved the decision in an effort to accelerate recent efforts to reclaim territory held by the Islamic State.

“The coalition will continue to increase the pressure on ISIL in Mosul and wherever it seeks refuge in Iraq,” Carter said in a statement. ISIL is an acronym for the Islamic State.