"We are not putting U.S. troops on the front lines fighting firefights with ISIL," Obama said in in an interview with NBC.
Nevertheless, the president did not clarify whether this decision would breach his pledge not to launch a boots-on-the-ground operation in Syria.
Last Friday, it was reported that the US would deploy up to 50 Special Forces operators as military advisors. They will help local ground forces to fight Islamic State militants, the White House said.
What is more, the US forces will not coordinate their actions with Russia.
It is typical of Barack Obama to refute his own statements, Anatoly Petrenko, a professor at the Academy of Social Management, told Sputnik Radio.
"He [Obama] is not only the president of the United States. He is a man of his word. So, he can change what he says. As I Understand, the US will not deploy their forces to Syria any longer. The developments are not following the US scenario. And Washington can’t stand that," he said.
At the same time he doubted that the US forces would help local fighters to fight ISIL.
"They will do what they did before. They will select some 'moderate' terrorists and train them to stage 'moderate' coups," the analyst pointed out.
Russia should not rely on this kind of US support in fighting terrorist, he added.
"We should continue our mission. We should pin the US down to the fact that the conflict cannot be solved without Russia. Now, Russia is involved, and Washington will have to consider this," Petrenko concluded.
