President Obama said today he's sending 300 US "military advisers" to Iraq as Islamic extremists threaten to overtake Baghdad, reports the AP. Obama reiterated that he will not send regular ground troops and dismissed a concern about "mission creep" in response to a question: "American combat troops are not going to be fighting in Iraq again," he insisted. But, he added, the US "will be prepared to take targeted and precise military action if we conclude the situation on the ground requires it," reports the New York Times.
The new US team also could provide intelligence and guide future airstrikes should the US decide to unleash them. Obama again pressured President Nouri al-Maliki to work toward a political solution—one that includes Sunnis and Kurds—amid reports that the US would like to see him go. “It is in our national security interest not to see an all-out civil war in Iraq,” said Obama; his remarks followed a meeting with his national security team. (More President Obama stories.)
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