Obama: Situation May Change Where U.S. Must Send Troops To Fight ISIL

U.S. President Barak Obama gestures as he answers a question from the media during a press conference at the conclusion of the G-20 summit in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014.(AP Photo/Rob Griffith)
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BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — President Barack Obama reiterated his desire not to send U.S. combat troops to fight Islamic State fighters, but said there are always circumstances where the U.S. might need to deploy ground troops.

He cited a hypothetical example in which Islamic State fighters obtain a nuclear weapon. He said under such a scenario he would not hesitate to order troops into combat.

“So the question just ends up being, what are those circumstances?” he said during a news conference as he wrapped up a week-long trip to Asia and Australia. “Right now we’re moving forward in conjunction with outstanding allies like Australia in training Iraqi security forces to do their job on the ground.”

Obama was responding to a question about remarks by Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, last week that troop deployments in the fight against Islamic extremists were an option under consideration.

“That’s his job — to think about various contingencies,” Obama said.

Obama also pushed back against reports he was pursuing a review of his strategy toward Syria and President Bashar Assad. He says nothing like that has taken place. But he said his administration is always reviewing his broader strategy against the Islamic State.

Obama said that while Assad has ruthlessly murdered hundreds of thousands and has lost legitimacy, he said he said he was not considering ways to remove Assad from office.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  1. Meanwhile we sent another 1500 ground troops to Iraq this past week. I think that makes about 5000 he has deployed since August, all in small little groups that don’t catch too much attention.

  2. Who could have predicted such a thing?

  3. He cited a hypothetical example in which Islamic State fighters obtain a nuclear weapon. He said under such a scenario he would not hesitate to order troops into combat.

    Sounds like someone better order up some YellowCake and aluminum tubes. Cuz Mushroom Cloud!

  4. Obama, just another political consummate b.s. artiste in a nice suit, covered with blood and no backbone in that suit.

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