Amid reports that more than one million Iraqis have fled their homes as Sunni militants continued their advance towards Baghdad, US President Barack Obama has again asked Iraqi leaders to come up with a political solution.
Because “if they don’t, there won’t be a military solution to the problem”, Obama told CNN in an interview to be aired Monday.Obama, who has baulked at military intervention in Ukraine and Syria, on Thursday ruled out a return of US troops in a combat role in Iraq though he agreed to send 300 military advisers to assist Baghdad.
“We gave Iraq the chance to have an inclusive democracy,” he said, asking Iraq to create a command structure that includes Shias, Sunnis and Kurds, the country’s three chief groups.“If we don’t see Sunni, Shia and Kurd representation in the military command structure, if we don’t see Sunni, Shia and Kurd political support for what we’re doing, we won’t do it,” Obama said.
Senior US officials cited by CNN said the Obama administration believes that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki who leads a Government dominated by Shias is not the leader Iraq needs to unify the country and end sectarian tensions.The first of US advisers are expected to arrive in Iraq on Saturday, CNN reported citing a senior defence official. But the US has not reached an agreement with Iraq to provide legal protection to the US military advisers.
Meanwhile, thousands of fighters loyal to powerful Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr paraded with weapons in the Sadr City area of north Baghdad on Saturday, vowing to fight against a major militant offensive.The offensive, led by Sunni Arab militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the levant group but involving other organisations as well, has overrun swathes of Northern and Central Iraq this month.