Kerry: US in Talks With Arab States on Ground Forces Against Daesh

The US government is engaged in preliminary discussions with several Arab states concerning their offers to provide ground troops against Daesh, US Secretary of State John Kerry told the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earlier it was reported that Saudi Arabia could send thousands of ground forces to Syria, most likely in coordination with Turkey, to take part in the fight against Daesh terrorist group.

Shortly after that, Turkey reportedly sent troops to its border, and also intensified the shelling of Kurdish-held areas in northern border regions of Syria.

Asked whether the US government has discussed with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman or Jordan concerning whether they would lend their ground troops to help fight Daesh, Kerry said, "We are engaged in discussions with them regarding their offers to do so. These are preliminary discussions."

On Monday, a spokesman for Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Omer Celik, said Turkey had no plans to conduct a ground operation in Syria.

Riyadh has been a nominal member of a US-led international coalition that has been carrying out airstrikes against Daesh in Syria and Iraq since 2014. However, the operations in Syria have been conducted without the approval of the Syrian government or the UN Security Council.