Iraq prime minister rules out US ground troops

[unhappycamper]

https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2014/09/17/iraq-prime-minister-rules-out-ground-troops/hLmdzQwUZcDii64DcnczEL/story.html



Haider al-Abadi

Iraq prime minister rules out US ground troops
By Vivian Salama and Qassim Abdul-Zahra | Associated Press September 18, 2014

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s new prime minister ruled out stationing US ground troops in his country, chiding the international community Wednesday for inaction in Syria and lamenting the ‘‘puzzling’’ exclusion of neighboring Iran from the coalition being assembled to fight the Islamic State group.

Haider al-Abadi has been embraced by the West as a more inclusive leader who might heal the internal rifts that have dismembered Iraq. But his forthrightness in an interview with The Associated Press — his first with international media — suggested a man capable of parting ways on vision and holding his ground.

~snip~

But he stressed that he sees no need for the United States or other nations to send troops into Iraq to help fight the Islamic State.

‘‘Not only is it not necessary,’’ he said, ‘‘We don’t want them. We won’t allow them. Full stop.’’