About 300 US military advisers will be sent to Iraq to help the country’s embattled government hold off a lightning advance from Isis militants.
Insurgents from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have seized several cities and are currently fighting against pro-government forces in fierce battles for the Baiji oil refinery and Tal Afar airport in northern Iraq.
Production has been halted at Baiji, which supplies much of the country’s domestic fuel, sparking panic buying in the northern regions, with long queues at petrol stations.
Military advisers, drawn from US special forces, will set up joint command centres with the Iraqi military in Baghdad and northern Iraq, to share intelligence and co-ordinate planning, and also go out into the field, reports the BBC.
Obama blamed Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for worsening the country’s deep sectarian divide by failing to include Sunni and Kurdish interests in his policies.
He said it was not America’s place to choose Iraq’s leaders but warned that “only leaders with an inclusive agenda are going to be able to truly bring the Iraqi people together”.
Secretary of State John Kerry will visit the region to urge the Iraqi government to adopt more inclusive policies. A spokesman for Maliki has said he will not stand down.
Bureau Report
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