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Though President Barack Obama's administration has touted the consistency of its military approach to the Islamic State, its public statements have continually evolved.

Notably, Obama has repeatedly and passionately insisted no US troops will be actively involved in ground operations — though they will have weapons and be prepared to shoot back if needed.

However, there have been some indications that US troops are already fighting the Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) on the ground. Additionally, in recent days and weeks, the US' top military commander opened the door to using ground troops in order to retake Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, from the jihadist forces.

"I'm not predicting at this point that I would recommend that those forces in Mosul and along the border would need to be accompanied by US forces, but we’re certainly considering it," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey said on Thursday.

In order to keep track of this evolution, Business Insider created a timeline of the US' role in the fight against the Islamic State.