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| Iraqi ambassador to US fears Isis 'ethnic cleansing' unless Obama acts | Iraqi ambassador to US fears Isis 'ethnic cleansing' unless Obama acts |
| (2 months later) | |
| The Iraqi ambassador to the United States is warning that the Islamic extremists overrunning his country will commit "ethnic cleansing" unless the Obama administration helps stop them. | The Iraqi ambassador to the United States is warning that the Islamic extremists overrunning his country will commit "ethnic cleansing" unless the Obama administration helps stop them. |
| Speaking after a long day of lobbying Capitol Hill for US support, ambassador Lukman Faily indicated that US officials do not consider Iraq's crisis to be as immediate as his government does. He acknowledged that the air strikes and other US military support he seeks – which President Obama has yet to decide to authorize – grow more complicated as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) digs deeper into Iraqi cities. | |
| "It's not just the aerial bombing campaign, it complicates the whole picture of collateral damage," Faily told the Guardian in his residence late Tuesday as his two-year-old son looked on. | "It's not just the aerial bombing campaign, it complicates the whole picture of collateral damage," Faily told the Guardian in his residence late Tuesday as his two-year-old son looked on. |
| "Wherever they have the possibility, they will cleanse minorities, ethnic cleansing. ... Look at Mosul. They went into prisons, they executed the Shiite prisoners. They went into Mosul and they executed the Sunni imams who were reluctant about handing over their mosques to them. So what does that tell you? It tells you that they cannot coexist with others." | "Wherever they have the possibility, they will cleanse minorities, ethnic cleansing. ... Look at Mosul. They went into prisons, they executed the Shiite prisoners. They went into Mosul and they executed the Sunni imams who were reluctant about handing over their mosques to them. So what does that tell you? It tells you that they cannot coexist with others." |
| Faily, operating on three hours' nightly sleep for the past week, is urging the administration and Congress to launch air strikes on Isis – "air superiority" is his diplomatic phrase – as well as to bolster Iraq's intelligence, surveillance, data-analysis and weapons capabilities. | Faily, operating on three hours' nightly sleep for the past week, is urging the administration and Congress to launch air strikes on Isis – "air superiority" is his diplomatic phrase – as well as to bolster Iraq's intelligence, surveillance, data-analysis and weapons capabilities. |
| Beyond that, while acknowledging "fatigue" with Iraq among Americans who conducted a bloody and frustrating occupation for nine years, Faily wants the US to grasp the urgency of the threat Isis poses to his country. | Beyond that, while acknowledging "fatigue" with Iraq among Americans who conducted a bloody and frustrating occupation for nine years, Faily wants the US to grasp the urgency of the threat Isis poses to his country. |
| While careful never to criticize the Obama administration, Faily said that the US is looking toward the long term outcome of potential air strikes in Iraq while he wants the Obama team to focus on the present threat. | While careful never to criticize the Obama administration, Faily said that the US is looking toward the long term outcome of potential air strikes in Iraq while he wants the Obama team to focus on the present threat. |
| "That's exactly our discussion with them. We're trying to highlight the urgency and the immediate threat to the integrity of the state, and they are coming up and saying, 'OK, what is the day-after scenario? Give us some visions as to the day-after scenario,'" Faily said, adding that he was hearing "positive signs" from the administration. | "That's exactly our discussion with them. We're trying to highlight the urgency and the immediate threat to the integrity of the state, and they are coming up and saying, 'OK, what is the day-after scenario? Give us some visions as to the day-after scenario,'" Faily said, adding that he was hearing "positive signs" from the administration. |
| Faily profusely thanked the Obama administration, the Bush administration and the US public for its sacrifices and commitment to Iraq, but confessed to some frustration. | Faily profusely thanked the Obama administration, the Bush administration and the US public for its sacrifices and commitment to Iraq, but confessed to some frustration. |
| "As an Iraqi, and as the situation on the ground [changes], we're seeing displacement, atrocities are taking place, [Isis] capabilities are being enhanced, we're handing over morale boosts to them, yes, it is frustrating. Yet at the same time, we have chosen the US as our strategic partner, and we expect our partner to understand our sense of urgency and to work with us." | "As an Iraqi, and as the situation on the ground [changes], we're seeing displacement, atrocities are taking place, [Isis] capabilities are being enhanced, we're handing over morale boosts to them, yes, it is frustrating. Yet at the same time, we have chosen the US as our strategic partner, and we expect our partner to understand our sense of urgency and to work with us." |
| A growing sense of urgency | A growing sense of urgency |
| The Obama administration indicated on Tuesday that it is still days away from a decision on returning to Iraq for military action against Isis, a fateful move after the US withdrew from Iraq in 2011 for what it hoped was the last time. Already congressional misgivings about air strikes are stirring, and criticism from hawks, doves or a coalition of both is certain no matter what President Obama decides. | The Obama administration indicated on Tuesday that it is still days away from a decision on returning to Iraq for military action against Isis, a fateful move after the US withdrew from Iraq in 2011 for what it hoped was the last time. Already congressional misgivings about air strikes are stirring, and criticism from hawks, doves or a coalition of both is certain no matter what President Obama decides. |
| Some in Washington are wondering if the administration's urgency to take military action in Iraq may be fading as Isis approaches Baghdad, all while security experts warn that time is not on the side of an effective air campaign. Some believe that Obama has missed his chance to stop Isis from the air, if it ever truly existed. | Some in Washington are wondering if the administration's urgency to take military action in Iraq may be fading as Isis approaches Baghdad, all while security experts warn that time is not on the side of an effective air campaign. Some believe that Obama has missed his chance to stop Isis from the air, if it ever truly existed. |
| Caught between conflicting pressures to save a partner and forestall a return to war, the Obama administration insists it is not delaying a decision. Obama on Friday indicated he wanted to turn the crisis into a forcing mechanism to change the sectarian character of prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's government – "a wake-up call," Obama said – so as to prevent recurring pressures on Washington to reinvade or bomb based on future sectarian flare-ups. | Caught between conflicting pressures to save a partner and forestall a return to war, the Obama administration insists it is not delaying a decision. Obama on Friday indicated he wanted to turn the crisis into a forcing mechanism to change the sectarian character of prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's government – "a wake-up call," Obama said – so as to prevent recurring pressures on Washington to reinvade or bomb based on future sectarian flare-ups. |
| Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday she supported a growing consensus that unilateral US military intervention could be a mistake. | Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday she supported a growing consensus that unilateral US military intervention could be a mistake. |
| In an interview on CNN, Clinton criticised Maliki, claiming he had "purged the military that we trained ... and forced out some of the most able commanders" and suggested the White House was seeking tougher assurances from him before offering support. | In an interview on CNN, Clinton criticised Maliki, claiming he had "purged the military that we trained ... and forced out some of the most able commanders" and suggested the White House was seeking tougher assurances from him before offering support. |
| Faily declined to address any criticism of the Maliki government's sectarian character, and its role in fueling the conflict. | Faily declined to address any criticism of the Maliki government's sectarian character, and its role in fueling the conflict. |
| "This isn't about breathing space," said Rear Adm John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, on Tuesday. "It's about making measured, deliberate decisions that make the most sense, and it's a complicated issue. | "This isn't about breathing space," said Rear Adm John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, on Tuesday. "It's about making measured, deliberate decisions that make the most sense, and it's a complicated issue. |
| "Everybody understands the seriousness of the threat, believe me," Kirby said. "Everybody has noticed the speed with which [Isis] has moved inside Iraq. That doesn't mean that you rush to a decision. That space belongs to the commander-in-chief, not the Pentagon." | "Everybody understands the seriousness of the threat, believe me," Kirby said. "Everybody has noticed the speed with which [Isis] has moved inside Iraq. That doesn't mean that you rush to a decision. That space belongs to the commander-in-chief, not the Pentagon." |
| Although Kirby denied it on Tuesday, the military options available to Obama grow less attractive the longer it takes to decide on them, according to security experts. Last week's march by Isis in truck columns down Iraqi highways provided relatively easy targets for air assault. But as Isis moves deeper into Iraqi cities, it operates less like a static army on the move and more like an insurgent organization, blending into civilian areas, essentially daring the US to bomb and claim propaganda victories from the resulting collateral damage. | Although Kirby denied it on Tuesday, the military options available to Obama grow less attractive the longer it takes to decide on them, according to security experts. Last week's march by Isis in truck columns down Iraqi highways provided relatively easy targets for air assault. But as Isis moves deeper into Iraqi cities, it operates less like a static army on the move and more like an insurgent organization, blending into civilian areas, essentially daring the US to bomb and claim propaganda victories from the resulting collateral damage. |
| "The targeting problem is absolutely going to get harder the longer we wait," said Christopher Harmer, a retired US navy aviator now with the Institute for the Study of War. As Isis digs into cities like Mosul, Baquba and Tikrit, he continued, "they might be running a control center out of someone's villa, next to a mosque, next to a hospital." | "The targeting problem is absolutely going to get harder the longer we wait," said Christopher Harmer, a retired US navy aviator now with the Institute for the Study of War. As Isis digs into cities like Mosul, Baquba and Tikrit, he continued, "they might be running a control center out of someone's villa, next to a mosque, next to a hospital." |
| "The time to act would have been when the intel said there are people moving out of Syria," said retired air force general Pete Piotrowski, a former vice chief of staff. "We've wasted five to seven precious days if we're going to do something." | "The time to act would have been when the intel said there are people moving out of Syria," said retired air force general Pete Piotrowski, a former vice chief of staff. "We've wasted five to seven precious days if we're going to do something." |
| Those concerns will alleviate should Isis mass for an assault on Baghdad, they said, particularly along the roads where its air cover is minimal. Should Isis opt instead for terrorist attacks inside the capital, such as Tuesday's deadly car bombing in the Shiite district of Sadr City, there will be substantial risks to Iraqi civilians from any air campaign, particularly one in a country where the US maintains minimal human sources of intelligence on the ground. | Those concerns will alleviate should Isis mass for an assault on Baghdad, they said, particularly along the roads where its air cover is minimal. Should Isis opt instead for terrorist attacks inside the capital, such as Tuesday's deadly car bombing in the Shiite district of Sadr City, there will be substantial risks to Iraqi civilians from any air campaign, particularly one in a country where the US maintains minimal human sources of intelligence on the ground. |
| Late Tuesday night, Isis fighters attacked Iraq's biggest oil refinery, in Baiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad. The refinery produces more than a quarter of Iraq's oil, and a lengthy disruption of production would further pressure on Maliki's government. | Late Tuesday night, Isis fighters attacked Iraq's biggest oil refinery, in Baiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad. The refinery produces more than a quarter of Iraq's oil, and a lengthy disruption of production would further pressure on Maliki's government. |
| At the Pentagon, spokesman Kirby said it was encouraging that Iraqi soldiers and Shiite militias were "stiffening their resistance and their defense and are coalescing", particularly around Baghdad, after fleeing en masse from last week's Isis push into Mosul. | At the Pentagon, spokesman Kirby said it was encouraging that Iraqi soldiers and Shiite militias were "stiffening their resistance and their defense and are coalescing", particularly around Baghdad, after fleeing en masse from last week's Isis push into Mosul. |
| Faily, a former resident of Manchester who spent two decades in the UK during the Saddam Hussein years, said he doubted the window of opportunity against Isis has closed. He credited Friday's call from the Shiite Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to defend Iraq as a "turning point" that gave his government and military some new spirit of initiative, but did not view that as a sign that Iraq can defend itself without US assistance. | Faily, a former resident of Manchester who spent two decades in the UK during the Saddam Hussein years, said he doubted the window of opportunity against Isis has closed. He credited Friday's call from the Shiite Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to defend Iraq as a "turning point" that gave his government and military some new spirit of initiative, but did not view that as a sign that Iraq can defend itself without US assistance. |
| "We in Iraq see that there has to be a sense of urgency. The administration now understands that there is a sense of urgency, but also reflects back on these last 10 years, and it's asking itself these questions, asking us various questions as to see how we best can work together to somewhat address the key challenges of security in Iraq." | "We in Iraq see that there has to be a sense of urgency. The administration now understands that there is a sense of urgency, but also reflects back on these last 10 years, and it's asking itself these questions, asking us various questions as to see how we best can work together to somewhat address the key challenges of security in Iraq." |
| Faily said attacking Isis was in the US's own national security interests. | Faily said attacking Isis was in the US's own national security interests. |
| "We hope that they understand that the fight we have now in Iraq is on their behalf as much as on any other nation's behalf," he said. | "We hope that they understand that the fight we have now in Iraq is on their behalf as much as on any other nation's behalf," he said. |
| "It's not a domestic situation. It's an invasion by an international terrorist organization." | "It's not a domestic situation. It's an invasion by an international terrorist organization." |
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