US to send more 250 non-combatant troops to Syria

WASHINGTON (Staff Report) - United States has decided to send in another 250 non-combatant troops to Syria to assist local fighters in war against Islamic State militant group.

President Barack Obama is set to sign an order to this effect, officials confirmed in a news briefing. The troops will work as trainers and advisers to the fighters.

The main aim behind this move is to encourage local Syrian fighters to join hands with Kurd fighters in combat against ISIS in north-eastern parts of Syria.

Previously, United States had sent in as many as 50 troops to Syria. The new deployment will bring the total figure to 300.

The development comes just a day after Barack Obama's interview with BBC, in which he said that he would not suggest United States and Britain to send in ground troops to Syria to oust President Bashar al-Asad. The situation in Syria is complex, serious and hear-breaking, the US President went on to say.

On the occasion, he said there was no simple solution to Syrian conflict, adding that world leaders should push all parties including Syrian opposition, Russia and Iran to sit on a table and take out some solution.

Obama said that US forces continue to target Islamic State, however it is impossible to defeat the militant group in remaining 9 months of his presidency. We are disrupting an environment in which they function and shrinking their network, he added.

In an interview with Fox News, Obama had termed 'military intervention in Libya and failure to plan for the after Gaddaffi scenario' as his worst mistake during two tenures in the White House.