AKIPRESS.COM - The United States has expanded its air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militant group targets, hitting an IS fighting position near Baghdad firing on Iraqi security forces.

U.S. lawmakers Tuesday begin debating providing military assistance to rebels opposed to both IS militants and Syria’s government, reports the Voice of America.

Less than a week after President Barack Obama pledged a multi-step campaign to degrade and destroy IS militants, U.S. attack and fighter aircraft were used Sunday and Monday beyond humanitarian missions and protecting U.S. personnel. Two air strikes targeted IS positions in Sinjar to the north and southwest of Baghdad in support of Iraqi offensive operations. The number of air strikes has grown to 162 since early August.

RAND Corporation senior political scientist Rick Brennan, a career U.S. Army officer, said it is difficult to conduct close air support operations absent U.S. forces embedded with Iraqi units.

"There is currently no plan to provide the type of close air support that would be necessary without having U.S. special operations forces, or other people, engaged in providing the air-to-ground integration effort. Now, some of those can be done, as it was done on the dam near Mosul if you see large columns, or pieces of equipment, that are clearly in the possession of ISIS. Those are easily observed from the air and can be attacked. Absent those easy targets, it would be very difficult to integrate air and ground [forces] without having U.S. boots on the ground embedded in combat forces of the coalition," said Brennan.

About 30 countries have pledged to join the United States in fighting against IS militants who have taken over parts of Iraq and Syria, carried out atrocities against religious minorities, and beheaded three Western hostages. The United States is working to build an international coalition that would include airstrikes, ground forces, and cutting off funding for the militants.

Obama, who will be briefed Wednesday by defense officials at U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida, has also authorized potential air strikes against IS targets in Syria. But he has ruled out working with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against the IS group, which is fighting to topple him. Washington regards Assad as an illegitimate leader and a criminal.