Rep. King urges US boots on ground in Iraq, Syria

Congressman Peter King (R-NY) calls on the Obama administration to send American ground troops into combat in Iraq and Syria.

“I don’t see how ultimately we can avoid putting combat troops on the ground in some capacity,” King said on “Fox News Sunday.”

King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, criticized President Barack Obama for saying “up front we will not put boots on the ground.”

“Why take that off the table? Never let the enemy know what we’re not going to do,” he added.

As part of his new strategy to combat the ISIL terrorist group, Obama has authorized airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, but has repeatedly ruled out American boots on the ground to fight the brutal militancy.

Senior US military officials have complained that airstrikes alone would not be sufficient to defeat the ISIL group, controlling vast expanse of land in Iraq and Syria.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army’s chief of staff, said last week they might recommend deploying ground forces to battle the ISIL militants.

Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates also said Saturday that the US military could not achieve its goals against ISIL without “boots on the ground.”

In recent months, the United States has deployed some 1,600 troops to Iraq to bolster security for American diplomats and provide advice to Iraqi government forces fighting the militants.