Boots on the Ground: Barack Obama to Send Special Troops to Syria

Vienna: The United States today announced its first sustained deployment of ground troops to Syria, saying a small special forces team would assist the anti-jihadist fight, as major powers met in Vienna seeking a political solution to the war.

The deployment marks an escalation in Washington's efforts to defeat the Islamic State (ISIS) group, which has tightened its grip on swathes of Syria despite more than a year of US-led air strikes.

Officials said President Barack Obama had authorised an initial deployment of "fewer than 50" special forces to northern Syria -- parts of which are controlled by Syrian Kurdish forces fighting ISIS -- easing his long-standing refusal to put boots on the ground.

"They will help coordinate local ground forces and coalition efforts to counter ISIL," said a senior administration official, using an acronym for the jihadist group.

Washington will also deploy A-10 ground-attack planes and F-15 tactical fighter jets to the Incirlik base in southern Turkey, as part of the ramped up effort.

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The announcement came as key backers of Syria's rival sides sought to overcome deep divisions over the conflict, with regime allies Russia and Iran resisting Western and Saudi pressure to force President Bashar al-Assad from power.

Top diplomats from 17 countries, as well as the United Nations and the European Union, gathered in Vienna for talks bringing together all the main outside players in the four-year-old Syrian crisis for the first time.

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The West and Gulf monarchies led by Saudi Arabia want Mr Assad to step down, but Moscow and Tehran insist he has a right to play a role in an eventual transition towards a mooted unity government and later elections.