WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US mission in Iraq consists of training and advising local forces and does not include ground combat, a State Department official told Sputnik on Thursday.
"The mission of the United States in Iraq is one of train, advise, and assist and ground combat operations are not part of that mission," the official said.
On Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said that the Pentagon does not rule out conducting ground attacks against the Islamic State. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi's spokesman said Wednesday Iraq never asked for and does not need Washington to conduct ground operations in the country.
