Despite Rescue, Iraq Airstrikes Will Continue, Obama Says

[candelista]

Source: NYT

EDGARTOWN, Mass. — President Obama on Thursday claimed victory in the effort to rescue Yazidi refugees from a mountaintop in Iraq, but said that airstrikes in that country would continue in order to protect Americans and offer assistance to other Iraqis threatened by Sunni militants.
*
Mr. Obama acknowledged that initial determinations by the United States government had been that “many thousands” of Iraqi Yazidis were on the mountaintop. But he said that Wednesday’s assessment had found that “thousands of people had been evacuating safely each and every night.”

Still, he said the situation remained “dire” for many Iraqis who are threatened by Sunni militants in the northern part of the country, and he said American airstrikes would continue indefinitely.
He urged Iraqis to push forward to form a new government that would be more inclusive, a key requirement that the president has said is a necessary prerequisite for expanded American assistance in the broader fight against the Sunni militants.

“We are modestly hopeful that the Iraqi government situation is moving in the right direction,” he said.

Minutes after delivering his remarks, Mr. Obama arrived at the Vineyard Golf Club for his fourth day of golf since he arrived on the island for a two-week vacation.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/15/us/despite-rescue-iraq-airstrikes-will-continue-obama-says.html?_r=0

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"Indefinitely."

[newfie11]

1. Here we go again! Nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Where is Colin Powell when we need him?

For more than a week, American officials had described a grim situation involving thousands of refugees who would not be easily moved to safety.
That changed suddenly on Wednesday afternoon, when a small team of American special forces personnel landed on the mountain and found that many of the refugees had already left.

But hey, since we flew all that way, we are going to stay and bomb and drone to our hearts content.

[CJCRANE]

2. They couldn't resist that little dig in the last sentence.

That's very unprofessional and more fitting of a blog than a newspaper of repute.

[Orsino]

3. "Now watch this drive." n/t

[CountAllVotes]

5. All we are saying is ...

is Give Peace a Chance!

[Fred Sanders]

6. A low scale war through to the midterms would be popular.......I am such a cynic.

[lark]

7. Yeah, not surprised about this at all.

Just surprised a little that Obama is so in thrall to the neocons and their masters the MIC.

All war all the time is defintely the motto of the US de-facto government and the real thing just goes along.

How STUPID!

[TwilightGardener]

8. They're going to continue to try to keep ISIS away from Kurdistan

at the very least. Once the new Iraqi government comes together, we may get more involved (airstrike-wise) around the rest of the country. It's going to be an ongoing thing.

[jakeXT]

9. I wonder how big that Kurdistan will be? Iran,Turkey and Syria?