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Barack Obama says US will not be 'dragged into another war' in Iraq Obama: Iraq strikes against 'barbaric terrorists' will continue if necessary
(35 minutes later)
President Barack Obama on Saturday used his weekly address to assure the US public that despite the launching of air strikes on Islamic militants in Iraq, he “will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war”. President Barack Obama on Saturday reiterated his determination to avoid being pulled into a longer involvement in Iraq but said strikes against Islamic militants who he called “barbaric terrorists” would continue if necessary, in order to “prevent an act of genocide”.
He added, however, that strikes would continue “if necessary”. Obama said he could not say how long military and humanitarian operations would continue, but said: “We feel confident that we can prevent [Isis] from going up a mountain and slaughtering the people who are there.”
The White House later said Obama would deliver a new statement on Iraq later on Saturday morning, before he leaves for a vacation in Martha’s Vineyard. The statement was scheduled for 10.25am ET. US forces launched three waves of strikes on Friday, targeting Islamic State (Isis) fighters around the Kurdish city of Irbil. On Saturday, a second airdrop of humanitarian supplies was made to refugees hiding in mountainous areas after fleeing persecution by the militants.
Obama is scheduled to return from his vacation next Sunday, spending a few days in Washington before returning to the Massachusetts resort. Speaking on the South Lawn of the White House in front of the Marine 1 helicopter, which waited to take him to a scheduled vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, Obama delivered a four-minute statement in which he said air strikes had protected Americans in Irbil and Kurdish Yazidi refugees on Mount Sinjar, and that the US and the Iraqi government had “stepped up military assistance” to Kurdish forces fighting the militants.
US forces launched three waves of strikes on Friday, targeting Islamic State (Isis) fighters around the Kurdish city of Irbil. On Saturday, a second airdrop of supplies was made to refugees hiding in mountainous areas after fleeing persecution by the militants. He said he had spoken on Saturday morning to the British prime minister David Cameron and the French president, François Hollande, who had agreed to help with the humanitarian effort. A British plane left an RAF base to drop supplies; earlier Tony Abbott, the prime minister of Australia, said his country was preparing to join the aid flights.
Tony Abbott, the prime minister of Australia, said his country was preparing to join the humanitarian effort. A British plane left an RAF base to drop supplies. Answering questions, Obama said he would not give “a particular timetable” for the air strikes and humanitarian effort in Iraq, “because as I’ve said from the start, wherever and whenever US personnel and facilities are threatened, it’s my obligation to make sure they are protected … given the challenging security environment, we’re going to maintain vigilance and make sure our people are safe.
Obama said the air strikes had been authorised “to protect our American diplomats and military advisers” in Irbil from “terrorist forces” near the city. Referring to his original statement to the nation, in which he announced the strikes and the humanitarian effort, he said: “I made it clear that if they attempted to advance further, our military would respond with targeted strikes. “Our initial goal is not only to make sure Americans are protected, but also to deal with this humanitarian situation in Sinjar. We feel confident that we can prevent [Isis] from going up a mountain and slaughtering the people who are there. But the next step, which is going to be complicated logistically, is how do we give safe passage for people down from the mountain. That’s the kind of co-ordination we need to do internationally.”
Obama referred to trying to set up “some sort of mechanisation or safe corridor so that these people can move”.
He also, repeatedly, said the Iraqi government needed to take ultimate responsibility for security within the country. “We can conduct air strikes,” he said, “but ultimately there’s not going to be an American military solution to the problem. There’s going to have to be an Iraqi solution that America and other countries support.”
Obama is scheduled to return from his vacation temporarily next Sunday.
Earlier on Saturday, in his weekly address, Obama said he “will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war” but added that strikes would continue “if necessary”. Referring to his original statement to the nation, in which he announced the strikes and the humanitarian effort, he said: “I made it clear that if [Isis] attempted to advance further, our military would respond with targeted strikes.
“That’s what we’ve done. And, if necessary, that’s what we will continue to do.”“That’s what we’ve done. And, if necessary, that’s what we will continue to do.”
Regarding the air drops, which are aimed at helping refugees from the Yazidi religious minority, Obama said: “The terrorists that have taken over parts of Iraq have been especially brutal to religious minorities – rounding up families, executing men, enslaving women, and threatening the systematic destruction of an entire religious community, which would be genocide.”
On Friday, religious leaders said Isis persecution of religious minorities in Iraq had already become a genocide.On Friday, religious leaders said Isis persecution of religious minorities in Iraq had already become a genocide.
Obama said the US “cannot and should not intervene every time there’s a crisis in the world”, but added: “When there’s a situation like the one on this mountain – when countless innocent people are facing a massacre, and when we have the ability to help prevent it – the United States can’t just look away.” In his address, Obama said: “The terrorists that have taken over parts of Iraq have been especially brutal to religious minorities – rounding up families, executing men, enslaving women, and threatening the systematic destruction of an entire religious community, which would be genocide.”
Obama said the US would continue its “broader strategy in Iraq”, which would involve continued protection and humanitarian efforts, and urging “Iraqi communities to reconcile, come together and fight back against these terrorists so the people of Iraq have the opportunity for a better future”.
The president has gained broad domestic support for the strikes, although Republican voices have dissented. On Friday John Boehner, the Speaker of the House of the Representatives, issued a statement in which he said: “The president’s authorisation of air strikes is appropriate, but like many Americans, I am dismayed by the ongoing absence of a strategy for countering the grave threat Isis poses to the region.”The president has gained broad domestic support for the strikes, although Republican voices have dissented. On Friday John Boehner, the Speaker of the House of the Representatives, issued a statement in which he said: “The president’s authorisation of air strikes is appropriate, but like many Americans, I am dismayed by the ongoing absence of a strategy for countering the grave threat Isis poses to the region.”
On Saturday, giving the Republican weekly address, Mike McFadden, a Senate candidate from Minnesota, criticised the Obama administration’s record on the economy.On Saturday, giving the Republican weekly address, Mike McFadden, a Senate candidate from Minnesota, criticised the Obama administration’s record on the economy.