Obama tells Iraq’s leaders to solve their own problems while Iran sends in troops to help Iraq

by The Right Scoop

So it appears that the only thing Obama really announced today was that he’s not going to send any troops into a combat mission in Iraq.

Fox News (via email) puts it this way:

“President Obama tells Iraq’s leaders to ‘solve their problems,’ but says he is reviewing possible military response to Al Qaeda-aligned militants overrunning cities and moving toward Baghdad.”

Here’s another way of summarizing Obama’s statement:

Meanwhile:

Emboldened Sunni militants, backed by local tribal leaders, pushed toward Baghdad on Friday as Iran sent troops to fight alongside government forces. In Washington, increasingly nervous U.S. officials mulled their limited options to help slow the militants’ advance.

In recent days, Iran has sent about 500 Revolutionary Guard troops to fight alongside Iraqi government security forces in Diyala province, a senior security official in Baghdad told CNN.

Meanwhile, Sunni tribal leaders have lined up behind radical Islamists from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, making their push toward Baghdad easier, a Saudi intelligence official told CNN’s Nic Robertson.

As Iraq further disintegrated, residents fled Mosul in droves. Militants captured the country’s second-largest city this week after soldiers scattered, leaving their uniforms and weapons behind.


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