WASHINGTON: The US military chief said on Tuesday that he would recommend deploying Ame­rican combat troops against militants of the Islamic State (IS) if air strikes failed to eliminate the extremists.

In a nationally televised address last week, US President Barack Obama had pledged not to send ground troops to Iraq or Syria to combat the militants, assuring his nation that air strikes were enough for defeating them.

But Chairman of the US Joint Chief of Staff Gen Martin E. Dempsey told Congress he could not rule out the possible use of ground troops to stamp out the militants.

The general said he believed a US-led coalition set up last week was “the appropriate way forward” against the Islamic State. “But if it fails… and if there are threats to the United States, then I would go back to the president and make a recommendation that may include the use of US military ground forces.”

The coalition includes key European and Middle East­ern nations some of whom have also agreed to contribute their troops to the fight.

The United States has already sent hundreds of military advisers to Iraq and plans to deploy a total of 1,600 such advisers to help the Iraqi army fight the militants.

Gen Dempsey and US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday to seek $500 million to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels against the extremists.

Gen Dempsey said there was no contradiction between his position and President Obama’s “stated policy that we will not have US forces in ground combat”.

The president, he said, had asked him to “come back to him on a case-by-case basis”, which meant advising him as the situation developed, including an advice to deploy ground troops if needed.

General Dempsey explained that a battle had its own requirements and recommendations were made accordingly.

Secretary Hagel said top US generals would brief President Obama on Wednesday and US air strikes on IS positions inside Syria could begin soon after.

Gen Dempsey said sometimes air strikes were not very effective as they could cause civilian casualties. In such cases, he explained, he might advise President Obama to send Special Operations troops to provide “close combat” support. These troops, however, would work with Iraqi military commanders, helping them direct troops to targets.

Gen Dempsey disclosed that recently the commander of the US Central Command, Gen Lloyd Austin, had recommended deploying American “spotters” for directing air strikes in the campaign to retake the Mosul Dam but President Obama rejected the proposal.

Secretary Hagel said because the Islamic State “operates freely across the Iraqi-Syrian border, and maintains a safe haven in Syria, our actions will not be restrained by a border in name only”.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2014