Rescue Mission 'Less Likely' After US Special Forces Land on Iraq Mountain

'What [Obama]'s ruled out is re-introducing U.S. forces into combat on the ground in Iraq.'

A White House official said Wednesday President Barack Obama has not ruled out sending troops to help facilitate the safe rescue of Iraqis currently stranded in northern Iraq. However, the official said the President will not send troops to fight Islamist forces in the area.

'What [Obama]'s ruled out is re-introducing U.S. forces into combat on the ground in Iraq,' said White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes during a press conference in Martha's Vineyard, where the President is vacationing. 'But there are a variety of ways in which we can support the safe removal of those people from the mountain.'

An unknown number of an ethnic minority group known as the Yazidis have been stranded on a mountain range in northern Iraq for days, fleeing Islamic militants who spread into Iraq from Syria and have been taking control of parts of the country. The United Nations declared a ' level 3 emergency' for Iraq Wednesday in an effort to speed humanitarian aid to those stranded, while relief airdrops have come from the U.S. and several other nations. Washington has made the stranded Yazidis a top priority, deploying 130 advisers to the region Tuesday to help plan rescue efforts.

Rhodes said Wednesday the U.S. is looking for the best and safest way to get the trapped Yazidis off the mountain without having to engage fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). He added that Obama, who is currently on vacation on Martha's Vineyard, will be making a decision on how to go forward after having conversations with the military.

'We have Kurdish forces who are engaged in the area,' Rhodes said. 'We have international partners who also want to support the provision of humanitarian assistance. So we'll look at what the best way and the safest way is to get those people off that mountain.'