images

The Pentagon has stated, possible intervention to free trapped Yazidi refugees on Mount Sinjar in Northern Iraq is not needed, as too few of the Iraqi minority sect are still trapped on the mountain.

McClatchy News reported, Military advisers who earlier in the day visited the Sinjar mountains, where as many as 30,000 people were thought to still be trapped, said that they found “far fewer” Yazidis than expected and that those who were there were in better condition than anticipated. Food and water dropped in recent days have reached those who remain, the Pentagon statement said.

If relief of the Yazid people is not needed then where have they displaced to? They cannot go home and what about the other estimated one million refugees in the Kurdish area of Iraq? In a few months winter will set in, will we still be providing humanitarian supplies?  The people are without adequate supplies now, what will happen in a few months?

What is our strategy in Iraq and what is our strategy as it relates to ISIL militants?

The Pentagon’s Director of Joint Operations stated that, U.S. “limited in scope” operations will have only “a very temporary effect” in the “immediate areas” and will “in no way” contain or break the momentum of ISIS.

Currently we are only supplying light armaments to the Kurds, but they are defending a long border and have to go up against the vastly superior ISIL militants.

Are we going to send weapons that place the Kurds on equal footing with ISIL militants?

What is our strategy toward Syria? ISIL is intertwined in both Iraq and Syria, what strategy are we perusing to roll back ISIL?

ISIL not only poses a threat to the Middle East region, but to Europe and the United States.  Many of the ISIL militants have western passports and have threatened the U.S., what is our broader strategy not only for ISIL, but also for the Middle East region?

On Monday, the president stated, “Today, President Masum named a new Prime Minister designate, Dr. Haider al-Abadi.  Under the Iraqi constitution, this is an important step towards forming a new government that can unite Iraq’s different communities.”

The president continued,  “Earlier today, Vice President Biden and I called Dr. Abadi to congratulate him and to urge him to form a new cabinet as quickly as possible — one that’s inclusive of all Iraqis, and one that represents all Iraqis.  I pledged our support to him, as well as to President Masum and Speaker Jabouri, as they work together to form this government.  Meanwhile, I urge all Iraqi political leaders to work peacefully through the political process in the days ahead.”

How is the president trying to make the Iraqi government in Baghdad more inclusive with Nouri al-Maliki still trying to retain power?

On Thursday the president commented, “We will continue airstrikes to protect our people and facilities in Iraq. We have increased the delivery of military assistance to Iraqi and Kurdish forces fighting ISIL on the front lines. And perhaps most importantly, we are urging Iraqis to come together to turn the tide against ISIL, above all by seizing the enormous opportunity of forming a new inclusive government under the leadership of Prime Minister-designate Abadi.”

“I had the chance to speak to Prime Minister-designate Abadi a few days ago, and he spoke about the need for the kind of inclusive government, a government that speaks to all the people of Iraq, that is needed right now. He still has a challenging task in putting a government together, but we are modestly hopeful that the Iraqi government situation is moving in the right direction.”

The president did not state what strategy or leverage he is injecting to ensure the new Iraq government is inclusive of all groups in Iraq. What about al-Maliki and is continued deviance in trying to retain power, what if he tries to ferment violence to retain power; then what?

The situation in Iraq is still ambiguous and the president still has not laid out a coherent strategy for Iraq and for that matter the Middle East.

Still too many unanswered questions.