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US PRESIDENT BARACK Obama has approved the deployment of 450 more US military trainers to Iraq, a cautious bid to reverse gains by the Islamic State group.
The White House said the forces will join an already 3,100-strong mission to “train, advise and assist” the Iraqi army as well as Sunni tribal fighters.
The new contingent will focus on efforts to wrest back control of provincial capital Ramadi.
Islamic State seized the predominately Sunni city near Baghdad in May, punching a giant hole in Obama’s strategy to “defeat and degrade” the jihadist group.
Obama has ruled out putting combat troops on the ground, fearing it may re-entangle US forces in a war he fought hard to end.
Instead his administration has offered air support, arms and training to an amalgam of disparate Iraqi forces.
In addition to extra trainers, the White House announced there will also be “expedited delivery of essential equipment and material” for those tribal and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters — in coordination with the central government in Baghdad.
While senior Obama military and civilian aides indicate he “hasn’t ruled out any additional steps,” such as providing field advisers or personnel to call in airstrikes, they say the current strategy will remain in place.
“The president has made it clear that he will look at a range of different options,” said Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes.
Our overriding focus here is making sure that there is Iraqi capacity on the ground.
- Fight for Anbar -
The new US training contingent will be based at Taqaddum Air Base, perched between jihadist-held Ramadi and Fallujah.
That puts US non-combat troops within striking distance of Islamic State fighters, but officials say it also makes recruitment of Sunni tribal fighters easier.
“There is always a risk whenever we’re in Iraq that we could be hit with indirect fire, as we have in the past, that we could be attacked,” said senior Pentagon official Elissa Slotkin.
We felt like we could sufficiently mitigate the risk to make it worthwhile to go out there to perform this important mission.
Iraq’s Sunni Muslim community — likely to be key to victory in Anbar — has yet to join the fight against Islamic State in large numbers.
After years of sectarian tensions, there remains a simmering distrust of the Shiite-led government in Baghdad.
There may also be lingering suspicion of the United States, which in previous campaigns recruited Sunni fighters before leaving them to the mercy of Shiite sectarian rulers.
The Pentagon said a large portion of the new US troops will focus on protecting trainers and other officials, while a small group will help Iraqi forces plan helping the Iraqis plan an eventual counter-attack on Ramadi.
The deployment of 450 US troops into the middle of a contested area may also have an impact on Islamic State’s actions, said Slotkin.
Obama’s Republican political adversaries seized on his announcement.
“It’s a step in the right direction, but as the president admitted the other day, he has no strategy to win. And this is another tactical move,” said House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner.
“I support the tactical move the president is taking, but where’s the overarching strategy?”
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Did you leave out the actual hammering bit? Because what I read here seems like resounding support as far as Republicans and Obama go!
The same Barack Hussein Obama who withdrew all troops from Iraq AGAINST the advice of all his top generals.
Those last two paragraphs are a “hammering”? Really? Seems someone is using the redtops as a reference point for crap headlines.
Every country should be sending troops to fight these animals. A bit to late tho for the thousands already murdered by these extremists.
It’s not in Americas interest to completely defeat ISIS.
The creation of ISIS has been carefully planed for many years in order to create havoc and chaos in the oil rich ME. The principle, is and always has been “Divide and rule” Total control of resources being the prime objective. To realize this, first of all, national states must be destroyed and their Governments overthrown. Iraq, Libya, Syria etc. Millions of people have died and many millions displaced in the past decade. This of course creates much hate in their respective communities. The sad part of all this is that ordinary citizens going about their daily business, invariably become the victims of this hate, and not the people who personally planed this catastrophe.
2012 Defense Intelligence Agency document: West will facilitate rise of Islamic State “in order to isolate the Syrian regime”
Newly-Declassified U.S. Government Documents: The West Supported the Creation of ISIS
http://levantreport.com/2015/05/19/2012-defense-intelligence-agency-document-west-will-facilitate-rise-of-islamic-state-in-order-to-isolate-the-syrian-regime/
DIA Docs: West Wants a “Salafist Principality in Eastern Syria”?
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/05/dia-docs-west-wants-a-salafist-principality-in-eastern-syria.html
Any chance of some Irish Rangers?
General Wesley Clark explains ISIS was created by U.S. Allies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ojcoKnTGf4s
Biden blames US allies in Middle East for rise of ISIS
http://rt.com/news/192880-biden-isis-us-allies/
Sanctions on these close allied States ? No, but weapon deals with US. UK and France in the past few months involving many billions of dollars supporting terrorists indirectly through the back door .
Former Republican congressman, and Republican presidential candidate, Dr Ron Paul claims : New Evidence US Backed ISIS
http://truthinmedia.com/dr-ron-paul-new-evidence-us-backed-isis/
Hi Pat, just for the sake of interest, what’s Israel’s stake in all this?
United Nations: Israel Is Helping Syrian Jihadists, Including ISIS
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/04/08/united-nations-israel-is-helping-syrian-jihadists-including-isis/?utm_content=bufferf722d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
I cannot verify the above account, but many different sources are reporting this. (Google)
Three interesting questions though that nobody bothers to ask. To whom does ISIS sell its oil,from which they repordedly earn 2 to 3 million dollars daily ? Which bank washes this money ?, and finally Where Does ISIS Get Its Guns?
http://www.netvibes.com/share/QjXA
Ah, I knew those darn Israelis had a hand in it! Keep them conspiracy posts coming Pat.
I read that link about ISIS supply lines, pretty much laughed to myself the entire time due to the sheer ineptitude of the writer. It’s obvious that the writer, in his need to pump out anti-West material, forgot the fact that ISIS is an irregular force and not a conventional war machine.
They don’t have tanks to fuel and arm, no jets to keep loaded with jet fuel and bombs and they certainly have no ammunition factories who’s goods need to reach an established front line. They are an irregular force, more akin to the Partisans of WW2 or the IRA of the War of Independence. Even the map they use in the source clearly shows how little territory ISIS can actively hold due to their lack of materiel and manpower to establish a solid front.
And precisely which conspiracy theories do you mean ? The above article does not originate from me but from Veterans of the Iraq war who have united to edit and publish this news outlet.
@ Jason : That’s not the point. The problem is that they can receive deliveries of fighters, supplies ,weapons and whatever else they require from Turkey, a NATO state, and over the borders of Jordan and Saudi Arabia, with impunity. Both are close allies of the US. and so with complete knowledge and complicity of the US. Government. They need ISIS.
He hasn’t sent them to directly take on ISIS he’s sent them to train the numptys in the Iraqi army. He refuses to engage ISIS on the ground.
Which is for the best.
Why give ISIS what they want and a recruitment boost?
In Fallujah the American army got its a55 handed to it, to use a colloquialism, by the precursors of ISIS in the Iraq war.
ISIS would have a recruitment bonanza if America went to war with them, it could easily destabilize the entire middle east and tip it in to a full scale Sunni/Shia war.
Bomb the living tar out of them. In Kosovo Nato launched over 10k air strikes in 18 mths.
If it isn’t cleaned up by locals then it will be just as big a disaster as invading Iraq was, maybe even accelerate that mess.
Is an a55 like an f16?
the US are scared witless to send in troops for direst contact as the last thing they want to see is US troops getting their throats slit or burned alive. Any President that brings that about might as well hand in his or her P45 straight away. As long as it is Arab on Arab violence then the US public doesn’t give a damn but the moment they see one of their own getting slaughtered on Youtube there would be an immediate outcry and a call for the troops to come home.
Unless it’s an American pilot being burned in a cage instead of a Jordanian, the American people have an uncanny thirst for vengeance.
There is that but it is mostly that US troops fighting ISIS would turn ISIS from a large rag tag group in to the collective representative of all Sunni in the middle East.
The Iraq war helped create the conditions for Isis to thrive there, why have another one and let them grow further.
How did the billions earned by private U.S. trainers for the Iraqi army not result in an effective national army .
Under Saddam the republican guard would have crushed ISIS within weeks , it seems as if Obama wants to get more boots on the ground and gradually involve the U.S. In another ground war before he leaves office .
It was incompetent and corrupt from the beginning. Sectarian divisions in the country remain as entrenched in the army as ever. Gen Petraeus hailed the army back in 2009 as ready. They clearly were not. It was a sad sight seeing them flee from IS.
Obama does not want more involvement if he can avoid it. Enough lives of US personnel have been destroyed already and billions poured into Iraq. Having said that Obama should provide enough support to Iraqi forces without US troops being directly involved in the fighting, continuing air strikes with allies and now further training.
“it seems as if Obama wants to get more boots on the ground and gradually involve the U.S. In another ground war before he leaves office .”
No, that’s what you want to see. What everyone else sees is a man who is afraid to get involved actively and is instead doing the bare minimum his opponents expect of him. He is doing everything he can to avoid putting boots on the ground and, as we’ve seen in Syria and Libya, this can have long-term negative results.
Bush’s administration disbanded the Iraqi army and horsed them out, leaving them nothing to do but fight against Americans.
One of the dumbest acts of a very dumb and mishandled intervention.
ISIS desperately want to see American boots on the ground, they would relish and make the most out of the opportunity.
A large American force would force people to either pick the local Iraqis in Isis or the foreign invader, even if the foreign power thinks or wants to help.
It never has worked out.
Its because the Iraqi are cowards and don’t want to take responsibility. there are so many cases where the iraqi army has fled from contacts with ISIS
Jason your an idiot
Amazing contribution Andrew, can’t even call someone an idiot and spell you’re right. How about putting out a counter-argument instead of petty insults?
Jason you’re an idiot!
Good job, you learned how to spell. Now all we need is for you to learn how to construct an argument and we might get somewhere.
A perpetual war for perpetual peace…..Vidal
This is working out perfectly for the US. Firstly, arm ‘moderate’ rebels. Said rebels then become ISIS. Arm Iraqi army and ‘accidentally’ allow said arms to fall into hands of ISIS. ISIS invade Syria, perfect because US want this but don’t want another Iraq. Syrian government toppled which is the main goal of US to counter Russian ‘aggression’. ISIS control Syria, US fabricates another WMD story to ‘liberate’ the Syrians from the evil army of ISIS. US ‘saves’ Syria. Jeb Bush does a ‘Bush’ and destroys Syria, dividing oil wealth and natural resources amongst corporate America and continues it’s war drums towards Russia, increasing the possibility of an all out nuclear war for the main goal of global hegemony.
450 more US military trainers to Iraq? so military trainer is the new doublespeak for combat troop.
the nobel peace prize winner is doing well, so far he has spread war and soldiers all over the globe. not to mention his wrecking of the US economy.
then again the man is an actor, a puppet that is told what to do and say.
isis isil IS or whatever they are being called this week is a creation of the US, UK israel and others. any region they need to get troops into terrorists suddenly appear to justify an invasion. the mockingbird media backs this lie up. its wag the dog stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1qWaqHBrwk&list=PLJgDzB_Zc6TLDB46bL930S8xG670d8LTo
Republicans will knock ANYTHING Obama does. Their objections are so ridiculous at times that they loose credibility. Anyway, the 450 are to train in warfare, not to do it. Come on Republicans, get a life.
These 450 troops are there to keep ISIS safe and make sure they are not attacked. Why would the US want to get rid ISIS when they have invested so much in creating them and now the MIC can keep it’s business afloat by arming all and sundry in ME pretending it’s all for peace and democracy and getting rid of the new ME bogeyman, this is US style peace and democracy in full flow. As others have said it’s only when an American is captured and burned to death in a cage will the US genuinely get into gear and try to do something but I think it’s now too late as ISIS have become way to powerful to be got rid of just like that. It’s only Iran who can wipe out these monsters and I hope they are allowed to kick some ass in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, Iran has had some success wiping out some of these vermin but as yet they haven’t fully been allowed to let rip in a way we all know they can, I hope Iran get tough and pulverise these monstrous creatures once and for all.
“Iran has had some success wiping out some of these vermin but as yet they haven’t fully been allowed to let rip in a way we all know they can”
So you’re saying that a country which hates the United States would be held back by the US and her allies from taking out a massive threat to it and NOT tell the whole world? That would be a massive propaganda win for Iran if it was the case so why aren’t they declaring this to the world?
Your post is full of nothing but wild suppositions and nothing else.
Just leave them to it, not Americas fight
What about the asteroid thats gonna hit puerto rico on september the 24
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