New Poll Suggests More Americans Support Ground Troops to Fight Islamic State

A new poll indicates Americans want ground troops in Iraq and Syria to fight the Islamic State.

An NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll indicates the public's opinion on ground troops in the Middle East has risen since September. According to the poll, 41 percent of Americans believe the U.S. should conduct airstrikes and have ground troops to fight the Islamic State. This number is up from 34 percent approval in September.

According to the AFP, the rise in the poll comes mostly from America's Republican base, while the opinions of Democrats and young people remain unchanged since September.

President Barack Obama has repeatedly said that the United States will not put ground troops in Iraq or Syria to fight the Islamic State. Obama said in a speech in September that the support of several countries, including those in the Middle East, to defeat the Islamic State ensures the U.S. will not have to put troops on the ground.

"This is not and will not be America's fight alone. One of the things we've learned over this last decade is America can make a decisive difference. But I want to be clear: the American forces that have been deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission," the president said in September.

"As your commander in chief, I will not commit you and the rest of our armed forces to fighting another ground war in Iraq. After a decade of massive ground deployments it is more effective to use our unique capabilities in support of partners on the ground so they can secure their own countries' futures. And that is the only solution that will succeed over the long term," the president added.