Washington, July 4 (RHC)-- U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Martin Dempsey says military strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants in Iraq remain an option for the United States. Speaking to reporters, the military general said that his country has far better intelligence about the situation in Iraq than it did a few weeks ago, adding that distinguishing between the ISIL militants and other Sunnis will be difficult.

Over the past weeks, Takfiri militants from the ISIL have captured large areas of territory across northern Iraq after seizing the city of Mosul on June 10th and sweeping towards Baghdad.

The Pentagon said 200 of the initial 300 military advisers are in the country and that a joint operations center has been established in Baghdad. The military also revealed that the U.S. special operations troops in Iraq are being backed by armed Predator drones flying over Baghdad.