The Obama administration has dispatched an additional 300 troops to Iraq to provide additional security at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and elsewhere to protect U.S. citizens and property.
With the additional military personnel being sent to Iraq now brings the total troop strength to around 800.
CBS News’ Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett said White House officials insist the additional troops “are not a signal of mission creep in Iraq.”
“They do acknowledge more forces with combat capability will be in Baghdad but argue their only mission will be to protect U.S. Embassy personnel, secure Baghdad’s airport and, if necessary, beef up military escorts in the event the security situation in Baghdad worsens to the point where large-scale evacuations of U.S. personnel are required,” Garrett reported.
The question the president has not articulated is what strategy is the U.S. trying to accomplish in Iraq?
In an article published in the Council on Foreign Relations, Steven Cook stated, “Other than the end of Maliki and the defeat of the Islamic State, what is Washington’s goal? The assumptions underlying the White House’s tactical approach to the problems that Iraq now presents do not line up with reality. Both are rather worrying. Without good assumptions and a clear objective based on those assumptions, the United States risks getting stuck in the maelstrom that is now Iraq.”
In a press release U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) released the following statement upon meeting with the Syrian opposition earlier today near the border of Turkey and Syria:
“Today, I traveled near the Turkish-Syrian border to meet with members of the Syrian opposition, including representatives from the Syrian National Coalition and interim government, civil society activists, and commanders from the Free Syrian Army. These leaders provided firsthand accounts of the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation on the ground inside Syria, and how the recent offensive by ISIS in Iraq is shifting dynamics on the battlefield in favor of extremists in both countries.
“The brave individuals I met today are fighting a two-front war against a murderous Assad regime on one side and al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist organizations like ISIS on the other. We need a strategy that can force Assad to leave power and defeat ISIS in both Syria and Iraq, and that strategy should start with greater support to these Syrian opposition forces, especially vital military training and assistance, such as anti-armor and anti-air capabilities and support for creating a safe zone in Syria. Further reluctance to support moderate Syrian opposition forces in fighting more effectively against both Assad and ISIS will only fuel the growing danger that the current threats in Syria and Iraq now pose to the United States and our national interests.”
The ongoing crisis in Iraq has opened up a fault line in the U.S. with both Republican and Democrats rehashing the argument on how we entered Iraq in the first place.
Democrats continually focus on the Iraq intervention of 2003, Republicans focus on the president withdrawing U.S. forces back in 2011, without leaving a residual force behind.
Both parties voted for the war and now both parties including the president have failed to articulate a comprehensive strategy not only for Iraq but for the broader Middle East.
At this point the president needs to lead as events can begin to spiral out of control and force you into taking action you otherwise may not want to take.
The weeks ahead will be interesting.
Leave A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.