Still toying with a range of lesser options apparently aimed at averting a major American involvement in the deepening Iraq crisis, an undecided President Barack Obama is set to confer with top leaders of the US Congress later before making up his mind.
Signals emanating from the White House suggest that for starters, Obama may favour deploying a small unit of US special forces to Iraq rather than launch immediate airstrikes.
One constraining factor for airstrikes is said to be the lack of sound intelligence to determine the battlefield targets, namely ISIS insurgents. There has been broad expectation so far that Obama may order targeted airstrikes, either with drones or manned aircrafts, in order to blunt the offensive by the fast-advancing ISIS forces. US officials have broadly taken the stand that no option, except combat ground troops, has been ruled out by Obama, but have indicated that Washington would proceed in a considered and calibrated manner.
Citing unnamed officials, The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House and Pentagon “now hold a more skeptical view of the possible effectiveness of speedy airstrikes and instead are considering deploying US special operations forces to provide intelligence and battlefield advice to the Iraqi military”.
“What the president is focused on is a comprehensive strategy, not just a quick military response,” a senior administration official has been quoted as saying, adding: “While there may potentially be a military component to it, it’s a much broader effort.”
Obama has been publicly urging Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to reach out to the Sunnis in order to make his Shiite-dominated government more inclusive, but there has been no forward movement on this score yet.
At his meeting with the top four Congressional leaders, Obama is expected to brief broadly on the pros and cons of the various alternatives. The meeting will be attended by Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker John Boehner and House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi.
There appears to be some relief in Washington with reports that Iraqi forces have repelled an attack by militants on the country’s largest oil refinery at Beiji. The Iraqi military announced that 40 attackers were killed in the overnight operation.
The Obama administration also believes that the ISIS’ advances may be slowing down. “We’re seeing indications, certainly, that Iraqi security forces in and around Baghdad are stiffening themselves,” said Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John F. Kirby, noting that the government forces were being assisted by Shia militia members.