Pentagon: U.S. Ground Troops May Fight ISIS in Iraq

The US defense secretary told senators on Tuesday that America is "at war" with the Islamic State (Isis), while the senior US military officer suggested US ground troops might directly join Iraqis in combat.

Stripping away an earlier reluctance by the Obama administration to declare its airstrikes against Isis a full-blown war, Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel said Isis will "directly threaten our homeland and our allies" unless the US confronts the jihadist army militarily.

"This will not be an easy or brief effort," Hagel said, who defined victory as "when we complete the mission of degrading, destroying and defeating" Isis.