President Barack Obama has reiterated there will be no US combat troops in Iraq, a day after his top general raised that very possibility.
Mr Obama spoke upon receiving an update from military chiefs at US Central Command in Tampa, Florida, about the US campaign of airstrikes against the Islamic State militants.
"The American forces that have been deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission," he told troops at MacDill Air Force Base.
"They will support Iraqi forces on the ground as they fight for their own country against these terrorists.
President Obama and US Central Command chief, General Lloyd Austin "As your commander in chief, I will not commit you and the rest of our armed forces to fighting another ground war in Iraq."
Army General Martin Dempsey told Congress on Tuesday he might recommend to the president that US troops fight alongside Iraqi forces if the current strategy of airstrikes failed to break the Islamic State group.
Since last month, the US has conducted more than 160 airstrikes to weaken the extremists.
Secretary of State John Kerry said the group must be stopped "end of story" Mr Obama plans to rely on US air power as well as Iraqi and Kurdish forces and the Syrian opposition to carry out the fight on the ground.
The House of Representatives approved by 273-156 Mr Obama's request for authority to equip and train "moderate" Syrian rebels to take on the Islamic State.
Testifying before a Senate committee on Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry said Islamic State forces "must be defeated. Period. End of story".
A displaced Iraqi child displays his drawing at a refugee camp in Irbil US Vice President Joe Biden, meanwhile, appeared to leave the door ajar for US combat troops, as he visited Iowa.
Asked about Gen Dempsey's remarks, he said: "We'll determine that based on how the effort goes."
But Iraq's new prime minister said foreign ground troops were "out of the question".
Haider al Abadi, who took office this month, said: "Not only is it not necessary, we don't want them. We won't allow them. Full stop."
Shia fighters, who have joined the battle against IS, train in Najaf However, Gen Dempsey, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said half of Iraq's army is incapable of working with the US to recapture territory from Islamic State.
Only 26 of 50 Iraqi army brigades were capable partners for the US, he said, as he flew to Paris for a meeting with his French counterpart.
The others were too dominated by Shias to be part of a credible national force, he added.
Meanwhile, Islamic State has released a video warning the US that fighters await it in Iraq if troops are sent there.
Islamic State fighters have seized large parts of Iraq and Syria The 52-second clip, entitled Flames Of War, shows fighters destroying tanks, wounded US soldiers and others about to be killed.
It ends with a text overlay that reads "fighting has just begun".
The CIA estimates the Sunni militant group has somewhere between 20,000 and 31,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
On Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told NC News the Islamic State militants want to "kill humanity".
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