"ISIS fight in new phase, Obama says" by Sam Schaffer

According to Obama, the recent decision to increase US troop deployment in Iraq isn't a sign that the current strategy is failing; it's a sign that the campaign against ISIS is moving into a new stage. In his CBS interview Sunday, he commented that the additional 1,500 troops were being sent to Iraq to usher in 'a new phase' in the war against the extremist organization, and to provide training and advisory to local security forces in order to bolster their combat effectiveness. During the interview, Obama reiterated on his previous promise of 'no boots on the ground' or more specifically, no US infantry taking part in combat roles. He repeatedly said that the troops deployed would only take part in training roles, primarily for training Iraqis and Kurds, and would not be engaged in direct combat with ISIS forces or forces of any kind. This new development, according to Obama, is not a sign that the airstrike campaign is failing, but a sign of a transition into a preplanned 'phase' of the war against the Islamic State.
I think that Obama is doing this because the airstrikes aren't really as effective as he'd like them to be. It was pretty much expected from most onlookers that Obama would have to deploy ground troops eventually in such a large conflict; but since he made his 'no boots on the ground' pledge, he's going to have to go a long way before he can admit his mistake and deploy much-needed forces on Iraqi and Syrian soil.