Making clear that the United States will not put combat troops back in Iraq, President Barack Obama on Thursday announced that he would send up to 300 American military advisers to help the beleaguered Iraqi security forces deal with the escalating challenge from ISIS insurgents.
He, however, steered clear of ordering any US airstrikes for now. But he did not rule out that option, saying: “We will be prepared to take targeted and precise military action if we conclude the situation on the ground requires it.”Obama, speaking after a meeting with his national security team, said the United States was gathering intelligence on the positions of militant fighters to identify targets.
Obama asked Iraq’s Shia Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki yet again to reach out to the Sunnis and form an inclusive Government.Maliki has come under intense attack from US lawmakers, several of whom wanted him to quit and pave the way for a political settlement and prevent the outbreak of a full-scale civil war. Obama, however, steered clear of lending any support to the call for Maliki’s removal, telling reporters: “It’s not our job to choose Iraq’s leaders.”
While declaring that US forces will not return for combat in Iraq, Obama said he expected the military advisers who are being deployed to help the Iraqis take the fight to the militants.“It is in our national security interest not to see an all-out civil war in Iraq,” he said. Prior to consultations with his national security team, Obama held a meeting with top Congressional leaders on Wednesday.He also announced that he would be sending his Secretary of State John Kerry to the region for diplomatic efforts.
As for airstrikes, the Pentagon called it a risky option right now because of the absence of good intelligence. Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed the Iraqi request for US airstrikes, but commented: It’s not as easy as looking at an iPhone video of a convoy and then immediately striking it.”On Capitol Hill, meanwhile, senior lawmakers have begun demanding that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki should quit in order to facilitate a Shia-Sunni reconciliation and a political settlement.
Senate Intelligence Committee chairperson Dianne Feinstein said on Wednesday: “The Maliki government, candidly, has got to go if you want any reconciliation.” Republican Senator John McCain, who has been pressing for US airstrikes as requested by Iraq, at the same time urged Obama to “make it very clear to Maliki that his time is up”.
Although the White House has not formally joined the chorus, officials are reported to be tacitly backing the proposition, given the Obama administration’s reported frustration with Maliki’s style of functioning for a long time. President Obama himself has been urging Maliki to reach out to the Sunnis with compromises and form an inclusive government.
US Vice President Joe Biden spoke with Maliki on Wednesday, conveying the same message. He also spoke to Iraq’s Sunni parliamentary speaker and the president of Iraq’s self-ruled northern Kurdish region.Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, appearing before a Congressional committee, said: “This current government in Iraq has never fulfilled the commitments it made to bring a unity government together with the Sunnis, the Kurds and the Shia.”
“There’s no question that not enough has been done by the (Maliki) government, including the prime minister, to govern inclusively, and that that has contributed to the situation and the crisis that we have today in Iraq,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
Prior to Obama’s statement, Republican Senators hit out at Obama’s approach to the Iraq crisis. Senator lindsey Graham blamed the current situation on Obama’s complete withdrawal of US forces from Iraq. “You’ve seen a collapse of the Iraqi Army that I think could have been prevented,” he said.