Obama Sends US Marines Back into Iraq

President Obama ordered up to 275 Marines back into the war-torn nation of Iraq. Military members ordered back to the country will be “equipped for combat,” according to official records.

This follows gains made by the armed groups in the country, including a takeover of Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq.

The government of Iran offered to assist Washington in military strikes against the militants. This prompted the first discussions in a decade between the nations over a common security interest. The United States government, at least publicly, turned down assistance from Tehran.

Washington spent billions of dollars training and equipping Iraqi security forces before the official draw-down of U.S. troops from the nation in December 2011. When faced with opposition from militant forces, government forces there either retreated or surrendered without a fight. The White House is now considering sending in additional U.S. special forces to provide training to any Iraqi forces who have not yet abandoned their posts.

On Friday the 13th, Obama promised the American people he would not put American troops on the ground in Iraq. Around 170 personnel from the United States arrived in Baghdad by early Tuesday morning eastern time. This doubles the number of Americans currently in the city, protecting the embassy.

The White House states combat troops deployed to Iraq are not there to fight, but Baghdad remains the next prize for rebels. The State Department says the U.S. embassy in Iraq’s capital city remains secure. One possible use of the American troops in the city would be an organized evacuation of the embassy. This could avoid a disastrous withdrawal, like Operation Frequent Wind, the hasty removal of Americans from Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War.

The War Powers Act Obama sent to Congress stated “This force will remain in Iraq until the security situation becomes such that it is no longer needed.”

http://news92fm.com/447214/obama-deploys-armed-forces-to-iraq-2014

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/17/barack-obama-sends-troops-back-to-

iraq-as-crisis-worsens

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/16/obama-troops-iraq_n_5501305.html

http://www.vox.com/2014/6/16/5815968/american-troops-are-going-back-to-iraq

https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/478663483563966464