How can non-combat American troops help fight ISIL?

President Obama says he is sending 250 more personnel to Syria, what difference, if any, will they make?



The US president has made the case, again and again, that sending ground troops to Syria would be a mistake.

Instead, Barack Obama has favoured a combination of air strikes and military advisers on the ground, to help US allies in Syria repel the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

Now the deployment of so-called non-combat troops is about to get larger - an additional 250 special forces, bringing the total to 300.

They will not be leading the fight on the ground, but will be essential in providing the training and assisting local forces.