Obama rules out US troops in Iraq

The U.S. president says other options are on the table as he calls on the Iraqi leadership to mend sectarian divides.

By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON, D.C.



U.S. President Barack Obama ruled out the use of U.S. troops in Iraq to combat the growing threat from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, but said that he would evaluate other options as he called on the Iraqi government to mend sectarian divides.
 
“We will not be sending U.S. troops back into combat in Iraq, but I have asked my national security team to prepare a range of other options that could help support Iraq’s security forces,” Obama told reporters Friday on the South Lawn of the White House. “And I’ll be reviewing those options in the days ahead.”

Still, any action that the U.S. takes will have to be matched by 'hard decisions' from Iraq’s leadership to bridge sectarian divides and promote stability throughout the country, said Obama.

“Iraq's leaders have to demonstrate a willingness to make hard decisions and compromises on behalf of the Iraqi people in order to bring the country together,” he said.

Obama added that the desertion of Iraqi security forces from their stations, which allowed ISIL to rapidly expand its reach in the country, was a result of Iraq’s political woes.

“The fact that they are not willing to stand and fight and defend their posts against admittedly hardened terrorists, but not terrorists who are overwhelming in numbers indicates that there's a problem with morale, there's a problem in terms of commitment, and ultimately that's rooted in the political problems that have plagued the country for a very long time.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Shia-led government has failed to gain support from Iraq’s Sunni minority, heightening distrust of the central government.

ISIL, which has developed into a formidable force inside Syria, has extended its reach in Iraq since Tuesday, gaining near-complete control of the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit - Saddam Hussein’s birthplace - and capturing Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city.

The group seized large swaths of western Iraq’s Anbar Province in late December, including much of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi, flashpoints of the 2003 US-led war in the country.

Recent reports place their forces within 70 kilometers of the capital.

Obama warned that ISIL’s advances could ignite fierce sectarian fighting "that could be very hard to stamp out" if the group tries to take over sites sacred to Shia Muslims. Karbala, which is just over 100 kilometers southwest of Baghdad, is one of Shia Islam's holiest cities.

American troops withdrew from the country in 2011.

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U.S. president Barack Obama said Friday that he will not send ground forces to fight Islamist forces in Iraq who are threatening to take over the country.

“We will not be sending U.S. troops back into combat in Iraq,” the president told reporters outside the White House before flying to North Dakota. “This is not solely, or even primarily, a military challenge.”

“We can’t do it for them … this should be a wake-up call,” President Obama said.

The president made ending the Iraq war a top priority during his first term. U.S. combat troops left the country in 2011. An American embassy larger than the Vatican remains outside of Baghdad.

President Obama [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] that the U.S. has a vested interest in making sure al-Queda backed jihadists do not overtake Iraq, and would not rule anything out, including airstrikes.

“I don’t rule out anything,” he said. “We do have a stake in making sure these jihadists are not getting a permanent foothold in either Iraq or Syria.”

It is believed the Obama administration is looking into other ways to help the embattled Iraqi government fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Alternatives include monetary and military aid, and intelligence gathering.

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Thinking the same thing weslin3. .

Ditto !!