Protecting
U.S. Military and Diplomatic Personnel in Iraq; and Breaking Siege of Mount Sinjar to
Free Stranded Yazidis
President Obama said tonight that he
has authorized the U.S. military to make targeted airstrikes in Northern Iraq
against the Islamic State militants if necessary to protect U.S. military and
diplomatic personnel working in the Kurdish city of Erbil or the capital
Baghdad. Pentagon said no U.S. strikes had begun by Thursday evening. The Islamic State militants are within 30 miles of Erbil.
The
president also said that the U.S. military has begun emergency airdrop of water
and food to members of religious minority Yazidis trapped in Mount Sinjar, west
of Mosul. Obama said the U.S. couldn’t turn blind eye to potential act of
genocide. The president has authorized the U.S. military to make airstrikes to
break the Islamic State’s siege of Mount Sinjar.
Meanwhile, the Islamic State captured
the strategic Mosul Dam, in yet another spectacular defeat for Kurdish Peshmerga
forces who were protecting the dam.
Photo credit: President Barack Obama speaks about the
situation in Iraq in the State Dining Room at the White House; 7 August 2014.
(AP)
Map credit: The Long War Journal/The Wall Street Journal
Map credit: The Long War Journal/The Wall Street Journal
Appears POTUS hand is being forced by Iraqi Kurdish setbacks in the north. U.S. cannot remain idle in the event 2014 Northern Iraq Offensive threatens Irbil.
ReplyDeleteWhether or not this intervention cascades toward an active role for U.S. airpower in rolling back IS forces beyond the northern front, and before U.S. preferences are achieved in the adoption of a new Iraqi PM, has yet to be seen.
will the B.O.D ,history's most cunning empire allow some selective airstrikes to protect the hapless people of GAZA ?,can SHE use her position to cement a permanent accord b/tween Israel and Palestine that will guarantee real peace there?.
ReplyDeletethe US will not try to protect the people of Gaza by bombing Hamas.
Deleteit's a good idea, but not practical.
the US can do nothing to cement a peace deal until the people of Israel and Palestine are willing to sign one.....and as Hamas will not sign any permanent peace deal with Israel, there can be no deal until Hamas no longer controls Gaza.