Sources: Chorus grows that Al-Maliki has to go for Iraq's sake

Shafaq News/  There's a growing chorus -- both in Washington and in the Arab world -- that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has to go if there's any hope of unifying Iraq as Islamic militants advance south toward Baghdad, CNN said in news briefed by “Shafaq News”.

While some on Capitol Hill aren't shy about saying his days as the Iraqi leader should come to an end, at the White House it's more of a whisper.

Senior U.S. officials tell CNN in news followed by “Shafaq News” that “ Obama administration is of the belief that Maliki is not the leader Iraq needs to unify the country and end sectarian tensions.

The officials, along with Arab diplomats, say the White House is now focused on a political transition that would move the Iraqis toward a more inclusive government -- one without Maliki, but which includes Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish factions.

Whatever the action, something needs to happen fast.

The lightning-fast advance by Sunni fighters for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, has toppled large portions of northern Iraq and brought the militant push to within 40 miles of Baghdad. ISIS wants to establish a caliphate, or Islamic state, that would stretch from Iraq into northern Syria.

Al-Maliki: Iraqi forces rebounding

On Wednesday, Iraq's military claimed it had driven back the militants from certain towns.

"We absorbed the initial shock of the military operations and now we are on the rebound we will respond and keep the momentum," al-Maliki said in a weekly address. "What happened was a catastrophe, but not every catastrophe is a defeat."

But in contrast to his defiant tone, militants continued to battle Iraqi security forces for control of Iraq's main oil refinery in Baiji.

Militants attacked the refinery complex, managing to take over some 60% of it, and set fire to five storage containers, according to police officials. Sporadic clashes are ongoing, they said.

Earlier Wednesday, Iraqi military spokesman Qassim Atta had said the situation in Baiji, as well as the towns of Tal Afar and Samarra, was "under control."

CNN was not able to confirm the situation on the ground.

The refinery is a key strategic resource because so much of Iraq's economy depends on its oil production. The country produces 3.3 million barrels per day and has the world's fourth-largest proven crude oil reserves, according to OPEC.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey told Congress that the United States has received a request from the Iraqi government to use its air power in the conflict.

Curbing sympathies

Maliki's Shiite-led government has marginalized Sunnis and Kurds. There's hope that a government bringing them into the political process would curb sympathies for ISIS by those who find themselves on the outside.

A change in government can't come too soon for some in Washington
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Maliki has to be convinced that it's in the country's best interest for him to retire.

"I think that most of us that have followed this are really convinced that the Maliki government, candidly, has got to go if you want any reconciliation," she said this week.

Publicly though, the White House isn't being as direct.

Earlier this week in a Yahoo!News interview, Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States shouldn't be dictating to the Iraqi people that Maliki needs to resign.

"Now, we clearly can play an encouraging, consultative role in helping them to achieve that transition, and we have people on the ground right now," he said.

Obama takes lead
On Wednesday, President Barack Obama huddled with congressional leaders, briefing them on options he is considering.

A few hours earlier, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Dempsey said they were working out details on possible U.S. steps that could include airstrikes on Sunni militants advancing through northern Iraq.

House Speaker John Boehner demanded that Obama lay out a "broader strategy," but sidestepped a question about whether he supported airstrikes.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spoke out forcefully against sending U.S. service members into Iraq. "This is an Iraqi civil war, and it is time for Iraqis to resolve it themselves," he said.

In their meeting, Obama effectively told congressional leaders that while he'd let them know what was going on, he didn't need any new permission to act in Iraq.

While a White House statement emphasized that Obama would continue to consult with Congress, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said the President "basically just briefed us on the situation in Iraq and indicated he didn't feel he had any need for authority from us for the steps that he might take."

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]