President Obama orders 275 troops
to Iraq
to Iraq
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney announced in a statement that President Obama has notified Congress, pursuant to the War Powers Resolution, that he is sending 275 U.S. troops to assist with the removal of some U.S. Embassy personnel who are located in Baghdad, Iraq.
According to Carney, the personnel will be moved to various locations. Amongst those locations are the United States Consulate in Basra and the United States Consulate in Ebril.
Some personnel will also be moved to the Iraqi support unit in Amman. Carney noted that the Iraqi government gave permission to the U.S. to enter the country.
Carney further stated that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad will remain open, and that the remaining personnel will be able to perform their duties. The violence in Iraq increased after the terrorist organization, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), took over Mosul and Tikrit.
The group has captured several Iraqi soldiers and posted the videos and photos of the soldiers’ torture and execution. Last Thursday, President Obama held a press conference about the increasing violence in Iraq.
During the press conference, President Obama briefed the press about his discussion of the Iraq situation with his national security team.
The president didn’t rule out any possibilities. However, President Obama did say that the situation in Iraq is such that military intervention would not be enough to solve the deep rooted problems the country faces.
The president stated that Iraq’s leaders must seek a political solution to the country’s problems. “I do want to be clear though, this is not solely or even primarily a military challenge. Over the past decade, American troops have made extraordinary sacrifices to give Iraq an opportunity to claim their own future. Unfortunately, Iraq’s leaders have been unable to overcome too often the mistrust and sectarian differences that have long been simmering there, and that’s created vulnerabilities within the Iraqi government as well as their security forces," said President Obama.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki, who is a Shiite, has been accused of not including the Sunni population in the political and social decision making process.
ISIS is a Sunni terrorist organization that is a branch off from the terrorist organization al-Qaeda. It is believed that the group is targeting Iraq because of Maliki’s alleged mistreatment of the Sunni Iraqi population.
Maliki has denied the allegations that he’s excluded Sunnis from Iraq’s political process. According to Al Jazeera, Maliki gave a speech in which he said that the situation in Iraq is not about “sectarian” differences.
Al Jazeera quoted Maliki as saying, “We are not sectarian, we will fight as a nation. We will talk the language of justice, we will talk the language of freedom, we will talk the language of all Iraqis regardless of their sect.”
Maliki went on to describe ISIS as a gang and stated that the Iraqi people will be successful in defeating them.
Iran has said that it is open to talks with the U.S. However, some members of Congress are not in favor of talking to Iran.
Iran’s Shiite population is the majority. And the country’s president, Hassan Rouhani, is Shiite.
Due to the past civil wars between the Sunnis and Shiites, some U.S. officials are concerned that U.S. involvement will give the impression of the U.S. siding with one side over another in a civil war.
According to Carney, the personnel will be moved to various locations. Amongst those locations are the United States Consulate in Basra and the United States Consulate in Ebril.
Some personnel will also be moved to the Iraqi support unit in Amman. Carney noted that the Iraqi government gave permission to the U.S. to enter the country.
Carney further stated that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad will remain open, and that the remaining personnel will be able to perform their duties. The violence in Iraq increased after the terrorist organization, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), took over Mosul and Tikrit.
The group has captured several Iraqi soldiers and posted the videos and photos of the soldiers’ torture and execution. Last Thursday, President Obama held a press conference about the increasing violence in Iraq.
During the press conference, President Obama briefed the press about his discussion of the Iraq situation with his national security team.
The president didn’t rule out any possibilities. However, President Obama did say that the situation in Iraq is such that military intervention would not be enough to solve the deep rooted problems the country faces.
The president stated that Iraq’s leaders must seek a political solution to the country’s problems. “I do want to be clear though, this is not solely or even primarily a military challenge. Over the past decade, American troops have made extraordinary sacrifices to give Iraq an opportunity to claim their own future. Unfortunately, Iraq’s leaders have been unable to overcome too often the mistrust and sectarian differences that have long been simmering there, and that’s created vulnerabilities within the Iraqi government as well as their security forces," said President Obama.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki, who is a Shiite, has been accused of not including the Sunni population in the political and social decision making process.
ISIS is a Sunni terrorist organization that is a branch off from the terrorist organization al-Qaeda. It is believed that the group is targeting Iraq because of Maliki’s alleged mistreatment of the Sunni Iraqi population.
Maliki has denied the allegations that he’s excluded Sunnis from Iraq’s political process. According to Al Jazeera, Maliki gave a speech in which he said that the situation in Iraq is not about “sectarian” differences.
Al Jazeera quoted Maliki as saying, “We are not sectarian, we will fight as a nation. We will talk the language of justice, we will talk the language of freedom, we will talk the language of all Iraqis regardless of their sect.”
Maliki went on to describe ISIS as a gang and stated that the Iraqi people will be successful in defeating them.
Iran has said that it is open to talks with the U.S. However, some members of Congress are not in favor of talking to Iran.
Iran’s Shiite population is the majority. And the country’s president, Hassan Rouhani, is Shiite.
Due to the past civil wars between the Sunnis and Shiites, some U.S. officials are concerned that U.S. involvement will give the impression of the U.S. siding with one side over another in a civil war.
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