US Has ‘No Intention’ to Conduct Long-Term Ground Operations Against ISIL

The United States will not conduct any long-scale ground combat activities against the Islamic State, White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz said in a release.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earlier on Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported the US government was considering deploying a small number of ground forces in Syria embedded among Kurdish Peshmerga troops or the moderate Syrian opposition fighters.

"We have no intention to pursue long-term, long-scale ground combat operations like our nation has conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan," Schultz stated on Wednesday.

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said last week the United States is ready to carry out attacks on the ground and boost its air campaign against the Islamic State militants.

Schultz noted, however, that the United States does, "as Secretary Carter made clear yesterday, retain the ability to conduct limited operations with partners as opportunities allow."

Also on Wednesday, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson Steve Warren said that the United States will augment its airstrikes against the Islamic State’s industrial targets in an effort to destroy the group’s ability to command and control military operations.