Pentagon officials are confirming that another round of US ground troops has been deployed to Iraq this week, adding to an already substantial number of combat troops in a war that the Obama Administration has repeatedly promised would be “no boots on the ground.”

The “official” deployment is said to be 400 more troops, bringing the official number of US troops in Iraq to 4,460. This is only a fraction of the overall deployment, however, which is believed to be in excess of 6,000 troops now, with the rest as “temporary” troops of indefinite period.

These latest troops are part of the planned invasion of Mosul, the largest city held by ISIS. DIA chief Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart says that the invasion will begin in the next two or three months, adding that it’s going to be a difficult urban battle.

ISIS has held Mosul for over two years now, and while officials have tried to present ISIS as on the ropes, it is doubtless this will be by far the largest fight in the ISIS war in Iraq, and despite them nominally being “advisers” US troops look to be right in the middle of things.