Washington, September 3 (RHC)-- U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered deployment of 350 more U.S. troops to Iraq to protect American diplomat facilities and staff there.

The announcement was made hours after a video emerged showing the ISIL terrorist group beheading an American journalist, the second beheading in two weeks by the militants.

On Tuesday, ISIL released the video of the decapitation of Steven Sotloff, who disappeared in Syria in 2013. In a message, the journalist said that he is "paying the price" for U.S. military intervention. On August 20th, the White House confirmed the authenticity of a gruesome video showing the beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley by ISIL.

Washington has already deployed over 850 troops to Iraq to bolster security for its staff and provide advice to Iraqi government forces fighting the militants.

Top U.S. officials including Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel are also traveling to the Middle East region. This is taking place as Obama is being criticized by members of Congress over how he is dealing with the ISIL terrorists. Some members of the House of Representatives and Senate say Obama has not done enough to combat the Takfiri group.

ISIL controls large parts of Syria's northern territory. The group sent its fighters into neighboring Iraq in June, quickly seizing large swaths of land straddling the border between the two countries.