US Military Strikes Islamic State (IS) Targets in Iraq

According to recent reports, US President Barack Obama authorized the United States military to strike ISIS (or the Islamic State) targets in Iraq. This first target was against IS weaponry, and there are also discussions about hitting IS targets near an area where tens of thousands of Yazidi are currently trapped.

This is a major development since the US was hesitant to become involved in Iraq since their heavy withdrawals.

The US government explained that they were doing this to help Iraqi and anti-Islamic State fighting forces, but that this would not be a prolonged campaign.

However, some in the US government have been critical of the President’s overall approach to the rising influence of IS in Iraq. For example, House Speaker John Boehner was quoted as saying

“The president’s authorization of airstrikes is appropriate, but like many Americans, I am dismayed by the ongoing absence of a strategy for countering the grave threat (IS) poses to the region,” Boehner said. “Vital national interests are at stake, yet the White House has remained disengaged … such parochial thinking only emboldens the enemy and squanders the sacrifices Americans have made.”

It will be important to monitor the situation, and if President Obama does continue to demand strikes against IS near the Yazidi community, there is a great worry about safety of this group given IS actions against them. And, as some have noted, Obama has said that a reason for these actions is to prevent genocide.

As I noted in another piece yesterday, it is critical for the international community to come to the defense of the Yazidi and Christian communities in Iraq, to ensure that they are protected from more Islamic State attacks.