Saudi Arabia Willing to Send Ground Troops to Syria to Fight ISIS

Saudi Arabia is willing to send ground troops to Syria to fight Islamic State if the U.S.-led coalition agrees, the Associated Press reported on Thursday, citing the Saudi military spokesman.

Asked about the report at a briefing, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the coalition is generally supportive of having partners contribute more in the fight against Islamic State but he had not seen the reported Saudi proposal. "I would not want to comment specifically on this until we've had a chance to review it," he said.

Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri told The Associated Press on Thursday that Saudi Arabia has taken part in coalition airstrikes against IS since the U.S.-led campaign began in September 2014, but would now provide ground troops.

The United States is scheduled to convene a meeting of defense ministers from countries fighting IS in Brussels this month.

"We are determined to fight and defeat Daesh," Asiri said, using the Arabic acronym for IS. He didn't elaborate on how many troops the kingdom would send. Saudi Arabia is deeply involved in Yemen's civil war, where it is fighting Iranian-backed Shiite rebels.