At issue is what to do about the al-Qaida-inspired radicals surging through northern Iraq, wreaking havoc and reportedly beheading hundreds if not thousands of victims.
Obama has suggested using US air power against the terrorists, but the move could cause the US to be seen as supporting what many in Iraq see as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's pro-Iranian and anti-Sunni stance.
In essence, air strikes would make the Unite States appear to some as indirectly siding with long-time US foe Iran, as many in Iraq perceive al-Maliki as taking orders from the Islamic republic, experts said.
Indeed, since Saddam Hussein was ousted as Iraqi president in 2003, Iran has been locked in a struggle for regional dominance against the United States and Saudi Arabia, and giving Tehran more of a foothold in Iraq is exactly what the White House does not want to do, experts said.
But at the same time, there is pressure on the White House to act, as many fear terrorists could use Iraq as a base to strike the Unite States, much the same as when al-Qaida used Afghanistan to plan the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks against New York and Washington, pundits and analysts said.
Adding to the complexity, however, is that among the mix of fighters on the ground are some anti-government tribal groups who may be fighting under the banner of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a splinter group of al-Qaida. The radical militants are continuing their advances after seizing swathes of five provinces in northern and western Iraq in the past two weeks.
"When you conduct an air strike, it is very difficult to distinguish who you are hitting at the moment," Sarhang Hamasaeed, senior program officer for the Middle East and North Africa programs at the US Institute of Peace, told Xinhua.
- Hitting the wrong targets could open a can of worms for the Obama administration, and is one of many considerations the White House will have to ponder as officials weigh their options.
- Meanwhile, experts said both a political and military solution is needed to stop the ISIL (ISIS), as Iraq's government is perceived as unfair and not inclusive of Sunnis, but that may not be easy, as al-Maliki refused on Wednesday to adhere to calls for a more inclusive government.
Back in Washington, some Republicans are foaming at the mouths that Iraq has gotten to this point.
"Their concern is that Obama (was perceived to) drag his feet so long that it got to this point," Republican strategist Ford O' Connell told Xinhua.
Source:Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
26/6/14
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Iraqi PM welcomes Syria air strike on border crossing...
ReplyDeletePrime Minister Nouri Maliki of Iraq has told the BBC he supports an air strike on Islamist militants at a border crossing between Iraq and Syria.
Military and rebel sources say the strike took place inside Iraq, at the Qaim crossing, although Mr Maliki said it was carried out on the Syrian side.
Isis and its Sunni Muslim allies seized large parts of Iraq this month.
The government has struggled to hold back the militants' advance from the north and west.
It has also been receiving support from Iran, with whom its Shia Muslim leaders have close links....................http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28033684
26/6/14
Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has told the BBC that he hopes jets from Russia and Belarus will turn the tide against rebels in the coming days....
ReplyDelete"God willing within one week this force will be effective and will destroy the terrorists' dens," he said.
He said that the process of buying US jets had been "long-winded" and that the militants' advance could have been avoided if air cover had been in place.
Isis and its Sunni Muslim allies seized large parts of Iraq this month.
Mr Maliki was speaking to the BBC's Arabic service in his first interview for an international broadcaster since Isis - the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant - began its major offensive.
"I'll be frank and say that we were deluded when we signed the contract [with the US]," Mr Maliki said.
"We should have sought to buy other jet fighters like British, French and Russian to secure the air cover for our forces; if we had air cover we would have averted what had happened," he went on.
He said Iraq was acquiring second-hand jet fighters from Russia and Belarus "that should arrive in Iraq in two or three days"....................http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28042302
26/6/14