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As civil war looms Iraq asks US to launch air strikes on militants
[Iraq Sun] With the spectre of civil war looming, Iraq has formally called on the US to launch air strikes against jihadist Sunni faceless myrmidons who have overrun several key cities over the past week. The White House indicated that President Barack ObamaI've now been in 57 states -- I think one left to go... has not yet ruled out air strikes in Iraq. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari was quoted by news channel Al Arabiya as saying: "We request the United States to launch air strikes against murderous Moslems." "A military approach will not be enough. We acknowledge the need for a drastic political solution," the Iraqi foreign minister added. Top US military commander Gen Martin Dempsey confirmed the news to the Senate Appropriations subcommittee: "We have a request from the Iraqi government for air power.". Obama on Wednesday is to meet with the majority and minority leaders of both the House of Representatives and the Senate for a classified briefing on possible military action in Iraq. He has rejected the deployment of combat troops but is reportedly considering the use of drones or bombs. The developments came as the Sunni faceless myrmidons launched an attack on Iraq's biggest oil refinery at Baiji, north of Storied Baghdad. The Sunni murderous Moslem groups attacked the largest oil refinery in Salahudin province sparking a huge fire. Hundreds of gunnies, including the faceless myrmidons linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL), an Al Qaeda offshoot, waged an attack at dawn on the refinery compound in Baiji city from several directions with machine guns and mortar rounds Iraqi Prime Minister  Nouri al-Maliki... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party. Maliki imposed order on Basra wen the Shiites were going nuts, but has proven incapable of dealing with al-Qaeda's Sunni insurgency. Reelected to his third term in 2014... earlier urged Iraqis to unite against the murderous Moslems. He has also warned that the escalation of violence in his country will spill over to those countries which led a "conspiracy" against Iraq. "We will face terrorism and we will bring down the conspiracy. But be sure they will flee to you and your countries will also be burned by sectarian wars," Maliki said in his weekly televised speech, referring to the countries that Iraq earlier accused of supporting terrorist groups. "What happened in djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... was a setback, but not a defeat," he said. On Tuesday, Maliki's office had issued a statement accusing neighbouring Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... for "financing and supporting" the myrmidon groups in Iraq. Riyadh rejected in a statement any foreign intervention in Iraq's affairs and urged Bagdad to ensure the participation of all factions of the Iraqi people in determining the future of their country on an equal footing On Wednesday, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant faceless myrmidons were engaged in fierce fighting with Iraqi security forces for control over the country's largest oil refinery in Baiji. By afternoon, roughly three-quarters of the refinery had fallen under ISIS control, according to an Iraqi official speaking on the condition of anonymity to Rooters news agency. Authorities had evacuated foreigners from the refinery the night before in anticipation of the attack. Adding to the tense situation are the reports of kidnapping of 60 construction workers on Wednesday, including 40 from India and 15 from Turkey. Iraq's military also said its forces had regained parts of the strategic city of Tal Afar near the Syrian border, which ISIL captured on June 16, according to the News Agency that Dare Not be Named. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the "Iranian people" would spare no effort to protect Shiite holy sites in the Iraqi cities of Karbala, Najaf and Samarra, amid the Sunni myrmidons' advance, state-run Mehr news agency reported. Ahead of the meeting with Obama, Senate leader  Harry Reid... the charismatic senator-for-life from Nevada, currently majority leader ... , a Democrat, said he did not "support in any way" getting American troops involved in the Iraqi "civil war". Gen Dempsey told a Senate panel that it was in US' national interest to counter [ISIS] wherever we find them". UK Prime Minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite,which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideologicalhe lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger,but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... told Parliament in London that ISIS was also plotting terror attacks on Britannia. Posted by: Fred 2014-06-20 |
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