Obama May Be Using Ground Forces in Iraq,Syria; May Deploy Them This Week for More Clout on IS

President Obama's most senior national security advisers have recommended measures that would move U.S. troops closer to the front lines in Iraq and Syria, officials said, a sign of mounting White House dissatisfaction with the lack of progress against the Islamic State (IS), the Washington Post website reports today (October 27, 2015).

The debate over the proposed steps -- which would for the first time position a limited number of Special Operations forces on the ground in Syria and put U.S. advisers closer to the firefights in Iraq -- comes as Defense Secretary Ashton Carter presses the military to deliver new options for greater military involvement in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.

The changes would represent a significant escalation of the American role in Iraq and Syria. They still require formal approval from Obama, who could make a decision as soon as this week or could decide not to alter the current course, said U.S. officials.

The recommendations came at Obama's request and reflect the president's and his top advisers' concern that the battle in Iraq and Syria -- which only uses U.S. and allied airstrikes against IS troops -- is largely stalemated and in need of new ideas to generate a greater momentum against Islamic State forces.