According to a new Quinnipiac poll released on Wednesday, a majority of American citizens support sending troops to combat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Across party lines, 62% of Americans support a ground war effort to defeat ISIS, while 30% oppose sending troops:
Image Source: Quinnipiac/Screenshot
Currently, there are approximately 2,000 troops in Iraq, most of them advisers, with a possible 1,000 additional troops expected to be deployed, according to The Washington Post.
“Overall, they are a tiny force compared with the more than 160,000 U.S. troops who were stationed in Iraq at the height of the 2003-2011 war. But American military officials recognize that Iraq remains a ‘dangerous neighborhood in places,’ as a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command put it.
‘We are aware of those risks, and we are taking appropriate measures to mitigate them,’ said spokesman, Col. Patrick Ryder.”
In addition to U.S. airstrikes and troop advisers, many other nations and local populations have taken up arms against the Sunni ISIS militants. Along with Iraqi Shia military forces, Kurdish fighters and moderate Sunni militants, other nations have joined into the fight, including Iran, Egypt, and Jordan:
Image Credit: Boris Niehaus/Wikimedia Commons
Just last month President Obama made a request to Congress for war powers to further engage ISIS in combat, including- but not limited to- ground troops.
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