US commandos heading into Syria, White House says

WASHINGTON (AP) — A small number of U.S. special operations forces will be sent to northern Syria to work with local troops in the fight against Islamic State militants, the White House announced today, marking the first time Americans will be deployed openly on the ground in the country.

President Barack Obama ordered the deployment of fewer than 50 commandos to help coalition forces coordinate with local troops, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

Earnest insisted their role should not be described as a "combat mission," saying the troops would train, advise and assist local forces in an intensification of the U.S. effort against the Islamic State group. He acknowledged, however, the forces would be taking risks in a dangerous part of the world, where the U.S. also is conducting airstrikes.

"There's no denying the serious risk they will be facing," Earnest said, but "they are not in a combat mission."

Officials would not say exactly how many troops would go to Syria, detail their role or say how long they would stay. U.S. troops have been on the ground in Syria before, Earnest said, noting a rescue mission more than a year ago and a more recent raid.

Although the number is small, it marks an escalation of U.S. involvement in the fight against the Islamic State, which controls a large part of northern Syria and has its self-proclaimed capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa. The move comes after weeks of deliberation on how to revive the struggling effort in Syria and the failed training and equipping mission there, and follows a visit to the region last week by Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.