Iraq’s PM Says Iraq Can Defeat ISIS Without Foreign Assistance

The Iraqi government “stresses that any military operation or the deployment of any foreign forces – special or not – in any place in Iraq can not happen without its approval and coordination and full respect of Iraqi sovereignty”, he said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter (L) and Joint Chiefs Chairman Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr., testify before a House Armed Services Committee hearing on “U.S. Strategy for Syria and Iraq and its Implications for the Region.”, in Washington December 1, 2015. Obama in August 2014 authorized the first USA air strikes in Iraq since the 2011 US troop withdrawal and has deployed more than 3,000 American military forces to train and advise Iraqi and Kurdish forces to fight Islamic State. One U.S. Special Operations commando was killed in that raid. “You don’t know at night who is going to be coming in the window”, Carter said.

Carter said the force might be American-only, but more likely would be mixed with Kurdish troops or others who are fighting the militants. USA troops turned her over to the Iraqis.

“Iraqi special forces, the counter-terrorism force and other heroic Iraqi combatants have played a key role in targeting the leaders of Daesh and undertaken risky missions in order to seize back vital and strategic areas from the terrorists of Daesh”, it said. One US troop died in the operation.

“Throughout [our] own action and those of our coalition partners, the military campaign will destroy ISIL’s leadership and forces, deprive it of resources and safe haven and mobility”, Carter said. The force’s operations in Syria would be separate from the scheduled deployment of up to 50 special operations forces that will soon be deployed to northeastern Syria.

President Barack Obama said Thursday that his decision to send more special forces to Iraq to fight Daesh did not amount to another USA invasion. Carter again pledged to deal ISIS a lasting defeat but repeated warnings that it will take time.

Naseer Nouri, an official in Iraq’s Defense Ministry, told Bloomberg News that only limited operations would be approved, adding, “A permanent presence of US forces in Iraq is rejected as it violates the security agreement between the two countries”. He said US authorities were using the “finest fighting force the world has ever known” to fight ISIS militants. A Gallup survey said 47 percent of Americans favored sending more ground troops to Iraq and Syria and 46 percent were opposed.

“I am confident we will win, but we need to make sure we have the right strategy and the right integration of all our resources to ensure that victory”. “We’ve talked extensively to the Prime Minister (Abadi) about this”, Warren said.

Then, when asked by Congressman Michael Turner of OH if the United States was winning “now”, Carter would say only that “we will win”.

The “specialised expeditionary targeting force”, as the Iraq group is being called, will not only assist local forces but will also conduct further “unilateral” raids into Syria.