国际英语新闻:White House: No Plans to Send US Ground Troops to Iraq

WHITE HOUSE—White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Friday he could not corroborate Islamic State’s claims it was responsible for a blast at a Shi’ite mosque in the eastern Saudi Arabian governate of Qatif that killed at least 21 people.

“We obviously mourn the loss of life and condemn this violence," said Earnest. "The attribution, the determination about who is responsible, is still under review.”

A group describing itself as a newly-established IS affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack in Saudi Arabia. That attack and one at a mosque in the Yemeni capital Sana'a that wounded 13 Friday added to the growing number of casualties outside Islamic State's usual geographic targets in Syria and Iraq.

No change in US strategy

The attacks came on the heels of the Islamic State’s seizure of Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s Anbar province, where some 1,300 U.S. service members were killed during the Iraq war. In neighboring Syria, the ancient city of Palmyra fell to IS militants Thursday.

Despite the loss of territory, the White House stood firm, announcing no changes in its strategy against the militant group, which consists of thousands of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes to back Iraqi forces on the ground.

“The president has clearly ruled out the use of U.S. military personnel in a ground combat role in Iraq," Earnest said. "And the reason for that is that we have an important lesson to learn from the previous invasion of Iraq.”

Earnest said President Barack Obama has been candid that the fight against the Islamic State will require a long-term, sustained commitment.

As for the goal of degrading the militant group, the White House spokesman said despite setbacks, based on the progress seen so far, the Islamic State will sustain additional losses in the next few years.