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By Jeff Mason and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Thursday the United States would send up to 300 military advisers to support Iraqi forces confronting an al Qaeda-splinter group attacking the country and was prepared to take targeted military action if necessary. But the U.S. president, speaking to a news conference after meeting with his national security team, insisted: "American combat troops are not going to be fighting in Iraq again." "We do not have the ability to simply solve this problem by sending in tens of thousands of troops and committing the kinds of blood and treasure that has already been expended in Iraq," he said. "Ultimately, this is something that is going to have to be solved by the Iraqis." Obama said the military advisers would support Iraqi security forces and create joint operation centers in Baghdad and northern Iraq to share intelligence and coordinate planning to confront the insurgents. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the commandos would assess the situation on the ground and evaluate gaps in the Iraqi security forces.
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