No boots on the ground?

Via The Hill:

U.S. troops have arrived in Anbar Province in Iraq, often a site a of heavy fighting, marking a new phase in U.S. involvement in the campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

“I can confirm that approximately 50 U.S. military personnel are visiting Al-Asad Air Base to conduct a site survey of facilities for potential future use as an advise and assist operation location in support of Iraq Security Forces,” spokeswoman commander Elissa Smith told Agence France Presse.

Smith said the mission is limited to surveying the site and not about providing arms.

“US forces are not arming tribes in the region; this is a matter for the government of Iraq and the ISF,” she said.