Obama Sends Troops as Isis Sweeps Iraq
Amid a rampant insurgency in Iraq and forced talks between the U.S. and Iran, President Obama has ordered the urgent deployment of several hundred armed troops in and around Iraq.
Amid a rampant insurgency in Iraq and forced talks between the U.S. and Iran, President Obama has ordered the urgent deployment of several hundred armed troops in and around Iraq.
The Guardian reports:
Barack Obama discussed the crisis with national security team on Monday night after earlier notifying Congress that up to 275 troops could be sent to Iraq to provide support and security for personnel and the US embassy in Baghdad.
While Obama has vowed to keep US troops out of combat in Iraq, he said in his notification to Congress that the personnel moving into the region were equipped for direct fighting. In addition, officials told Reuters that the White House was considering sending a contingent of special forces to train and advise beleaguered Iraqi troops, many of whom have fled their posts in the face of the insurgency.
The moves were made in advance of any decision Obama may yet make on attacking the Isis fighters currently threatening Iraq.
About 170 US personnel have already arrived in Baghdad – almost as many as those already there – with another 100 nearby outside Iraq to assist, rear admiral John Kirby said in a statement from the Pentagon late Monday. Obama had earlier sent a letter to members of Congress informing them of the decision – a signal that the administration does not want to risk another disaster at an under-guarded embassy akin to the 2012 assault on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya that remains a major controversy on the right.
Read more here.
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
WAIT, BEFORE YOU GO…If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Politics
Obama's only takeaway from the Syria episode was to never again seek Congressional approval for military action.
Politics
Cautionary politics lost them the majority a decade ago. It’s taken that long to reboot.
With his nonstop barrage of lies, the president has degraded our electoral system to the point that any result will feel illegitimate.
The class war that gave rise to his campaign is the fault of a long line of corporate Democrats like Joe Biden, and voters know it.
A revealing new study finds the Justice Department charged just 359 such criminals in January—a decline of 25% from five years ago.
A closer look at the Trump administration's agreement with the Taliban reveals all the president's concerned with is bragging rights.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.