Pentagon Still Against US Combat Troops in Iraq Despite Odierno’s Comments

US Department of Defense spokeswoman Cmdr. Elissa Smith says the Pentagon still opposes the involvement of US troops in ground operations against Islamic militants in Iraq.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Pentagon still opposes the involvement of US troops in ground operations against Islamic militants in Iraq and considers political reconciliation as a preferred solution to the conflict, spokeswoman Cmdr. Elissa Smith told Sputnik on Thursday.

On Wednesday, US Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno stated that the US military may consider embedding soldiers with Iraqi security forces if progress is not made in the campaign to defeat ISIL within several months.

"We will let Gen. Odierno’s comments stand… we’ve long said that having U.S. combat troops on the ground in Iraq is not the solution, it must be a local military force and there must be a political solution," Smith said.

In 2011, the United States finished the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq, since then publicly insisting it would not have a combat role in the country.

Meanwhile, Washington has been sending troops to Iraq, at the invitation of the Iraqi Government, to advise and assist local forces in an effort to counter the recent advance of the notorious ISIL militant group, occupying vast territories in Iraq and Syria since 2014. In June, the United States opened a fifth training site in the country.

In July, about 3,000 US-trained Iraqi soldiers took militants' positions around the city of Ramadi in central Iraq. Pentagon spokesman, Col. Steve Warren, said the deployment of two US-trained brigades was significant because the troops were well-trained and better equipped than many other Iraqi army units.