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Most Americans oppose sending ground troops to fight ISIL: Poll

A majority of Americans continue to describe the Iraq War as a mistake and have tended to express less support for recent US military involvements.

Americans are more likely to oppose deploying US ground troops against the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group in Iraq and Syria as the US considers sending more boots on the ground, a new poll finds.

The latest data are from a November 4-8 Gallup poll that shows 53 percent of Americans oppose sending US ground troops to these countries while 43 percent support the idea.

US President Barack Obama authorized the deployment of "fewer than 50" special forces to Syria on October 30, reversing a longstanding refusal to put US boots on the ground.

“The fairly low level of Americans' support for deploying ground troops could be related to their reluctance to engage in another major military commitment in Iraq, or elsewhere for that matter,” Gallup said.

A majority of Americans continue to describe the Iraq War as a mistake and have tended to express less support for recent US military involvements.

A US-led coalition has been bombing purported Daesh targets in Syria and Iraq for over a year, but the air campaign has been largely ineffective.

Senior US military officials have said that the US will require “boots on the ground” in Syria and Iraq in order to retake territory from the Daesh.

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said recently that more US troops could "absolutely" be deployed to Syria if the Pentagon identifies more "capable local forces" that can fight against Daesh.

Earlier this month, US Air Force Lieutenant General Charles Brown said that Washington and its allies will increase airstrikes inside Iraq and Syria in the coming weeks.


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