Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhite House: U.S. advisers may take forward positions in Iraq fighting
Some U.S. military advisers could end up in front-line positions in the fight against Islamic State militants, the White House said on Wednesday, although President Barack Obama vowed that America would not fight another ground war in Iraq.* * *
His spokesman Josh Earnest said some U.S. military advisers could be deployed to forward positions to help direct Iraqi security forces and call in air strikes, but said they would "not be personally or directly engaging the enemy."
The possibility of U.S. soldiers operating in forward positions with local forces raised concerns that Washington, which withdrew its forces from Baghdad in 2011 after eight years of conflict, could once again be drawn into a bigger engagement.
On Tuesday General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, had raised the possibility of such eventual forward deployments during a committee hearing.
"If General Dempsey determined that it may be necessary to forward deploy some of the American advisers, then he will bring that option to the president, and the president said that he would consider it on a case by case basis," Earnest told reporters traveling with Obama on Air Force One.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/17/us-iraq-crisis-usa-idUSKBN0HC1US20140917
This was one of the two routes to US ground combat that Dempsey raised.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
4 replies, 580 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (0)
ReplyReply to this post
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
White House: U.S. advisers may take forward positions in Iraq fighting (Original Post)
morningfog
Sep 2014
OP
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)1. Lots of "may" and "if" there....
Let's wait till Pres. Obama says what he is going to do.
morningfog
(18,115 posts)2. What does "let's wait" even mean in this context?
Wait to discuss this real (likely) possibility? Wait to debate the likelihood of this possibility? Wait to voice opposition to this possible development?
It is important to pay attention to what the generals, the WH and the President are saying. That is the only way we can voice opposition to our representatives before actions are taken.
sadoldgirl
(3,431 posts)3. Unfortunately it may just take
one downed US plane to get our boots on the ground. I detest the whole idea with Syria. Let's help the kurds and leave it at that. However, I am not the "decider".
Aerows
(39,961 posts)4. Once you get ensnared in another country's civil war
it is very difficult to extract yourself. That's why I detest the Syria idea, too.