Obama Not Willing to Commit Deploying Ground Troops in Iraq

U.S. President Barack Obama is not yet ready to engage his ground forces in Iraq.

Obama had a meeting with major military advisers on Wednesday for getting an update on the mission against the Islamic State. He did not agree on conducting operations in Syria yet, the Wall Street Journal reported. According to officials, no decision was made during the meeting. Obama expanded the air strikes in Iraq. The U.S. military conducted 174 air strikes so far in Iraq. The United States, however, will have a limited role to play in Syria as it apparently does not want to get dragged into the civil war in the Middle Eastern country.

Obama has always asked for international participation in its mission against the Islamic State. The White House earlier expressed its plans to help Syrian rebels and Iraqi troops get prepared for battle against the militant group. Obama also said that the U.S. government would like to provide financial support for the campaign among other kinds of assistance. UK and France have already been taking part in the mission. According to the U.S. president, Saudi Arabia too has agreed to take part in training activities.

Obama's vow now to send group troops to the Middle East was criticised by Michael Young of The Daily Star. Young said that U.S. politicians had the tendency to reverse themselves even "on their most cherished beliefs." Young quoted Gen. Martin Dempsey saying that Obama had told the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to approach him on a "case-by-case basis." Dempsey apparently said that he would recommend U.S. advisers accompanying Iraqi troops against the Islamic State if the situation demanded so. Young said that Dempsey's comment was ambiguous as it apparently left "many observers wondering how the U.S. role in Iraq and Syria might change."

The opinion editor also said the U.S. plan to supply weapons to "moderates" in Syria had "many people shaking their heads." He said that Obama's hesitation to deploy ground troops in Iraq or Syria, though understandable, would be "unrealistic." Young said that Obama could have played more of a passive role by helping the native forces to counter the Islamic State when it was weaker. "The president undoubtedly wants to avoid mission creep, but his approach should not be defined solely by what he seeks to avoid," Young said, "But by what he needs in order to achieve the aims he has set for himself.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au