WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department may recommend that the United States deploy regular combat troops to Syria for the first time to fight Islamic State militants, CNN reported on Wednesday.

A small number U.S. special forces operate in the war-torn country but the previous Obama administration had rejected putting combat troops into the middle of Syria's civil war.

CNN said the Pentagon had not yet proposed the deployment to the White House.

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by David Alexander)

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