Obama meets with lawmakers on Iraq options
Special forces, airstrikes are among choices
President Obama outlined the scope of jihadist violence in Iraq while meeting with congressional leaders Wednesday, as he and aides ponder possible responses that range from airstrikes to increased training of Iraqi forces.
As an insurgent army marches toward Baghdad, Obama “reviewed our efforts to strengthen the capacity of Iraq’s security forces to confront the threat,” the White House said in a statement about the meeting.
They include “options for increased security assistance,” the White House said.
Obama told Democratic and Republican congressional leaders that the administration is “urging Iraq’s leaders to set aside sectarian agendas and to come together with a sense of national unity.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters that Obama said that “he didn’t feel he had any need for (congressional) authority from us for steps he might take and indicated he would keep us posted.”
An administration official later disputed McConnell’s statement about congressional authority, saying Obama told lawmakers that he and his staff “will continue to consult with Congress on next steps.”
The official spoke on condition of remaining anonymous because it was about a private meeting.
Among the administration’s options: airstrikes against the militants nearing Baghdad and possible deployment of special forces to train an Iraq army struggling to defend its homeland.
Special forces could also assist with intelligence gathering, looking for potential targets.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the Oval Office meeting, which
“The only thing the president has ruled out is sending troops back into combat in Iraq.” White House spokesman Jay Carney
lasted just less than an hour, is part of an ongoing “process of consultation” with lawmakers. He also indicated the president has not made any final decisions.
“The only thing the president has ruled out is sending troops back into combat in Iraq. But he continues to consider other options,” Carney said.
Administration officials will conduct closed-door briefings on Iraq today with senators on the Foreign Relations and the Armed Services committees.
Obama’s meeting with congressional leaders came as Iraq’s government again made a formal request for U.S. airstrikes against insurgents, who have al
ready taken the major Iraqi cities of Mosul and Tikrit.
Iraq’s army claimed Wednesday it had repelled an attack on that nation’s largest oil refinery and killed 40 militants, while Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki provided an upbeat assessment on government gains during a televised address to the war-weary nation.
Iraq’s chief military spokesman, Lt. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, announced that government forces had retaken control of the Beiji refinery. That came shortly after Reuters, citing unnamed security sources and refinery employees, reported that the refinery may largely be controlled by insurgents.
Al-Maliki assured the nation that his government has regained the initiative after the “shock” defeat of army and security forces in the country’s north.
“We were able to contain the strike and arrest deterioration. ... We have now started our counteroffensive, regaining the initiative and striking back,” al-Maliki said in his address.