No combat troops for Iraq
June 19, 2014
During a White House press conference on Thursday, the US president emphasized the importance for the Iraqi government to find a political solution to its current armed crisis, which threatens to thrust the country into civil war.
"American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq," Obama told reporters.
It wasn't the United States' task to choose Iraq's leaders, but a right that belonged solely to the Iraqi people, he added.
Obama stressed that the best solution to curb sectarian violence was for the government in Baghdad – currently led by Shiite Muslims – to end repressive policies toward its Sunni and Kurdish populations by giving them a stronger political voice.
However, in an effort to support the Iraqi government, Obama said the US would send "up to 300" experts to train and advise Iraqi security forces.
Sunni extremist fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, known by the acronym ISIS, have been making their way across a large swath of Iraq since early last week, engaging in violent clashes with Iraqi security forces.
In the process, ISIS has seized control of a series of population centers, the largest of which, Mosul, has two million inhabitants.
On Wednesday, fears grew as a large battle for a key Iraqi oil refinery broke out, coinciding with the arrival of armed rebels within 60 kilometers (40 miles) of Baghdad.
Military action uncertain
Although the US leader ruled out the deployment of US troops to engage in combat, he did not rule out conducting airstrikes. The previous day, the Iraqi government confirmed it had formally requested US air power to hinder the terrorists on the ground.
President Obama told reporters on Thursday that any military action conducted in Iraq would only be authorized "if and when the military situation on the ground requires it," in which case it would be "precise" and "targeted."
Limited US military involvement in Iraq was a "good investment" not only for US security and energy interests, but also to prevent another regional humanitarian crisis and the building of a safehaven for terrorists, Obama said.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is to travel to the Middle East next week to meet with regional leaders about the Iraq crisis.
kms/ipj (AP, AFP, Reuters)