Top United States General Martin Dempsey has said that U.S. ground forced may be deployed against Islamic State militants in Iraq if the current strategy fails.
President Barack Obama said earlier that the U.S. ground troops would not have a combat mission in Iraq while he described his strategy last week.
The U.S. earlier carried out its first airstrike under the present strategy to safeguard Iraqi troops, reported the BBC.
Meanwhile, Kurdish forces backed by U.S. drones and jets are advancing towards IS positions in northern Iraq.
The IS militants have seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria in the recent months.