Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki won't resign as a condition for U.S. airstrikes, according to his spokesman. Reuters
Iraqi Lawmakers Summoned To Form New Government; Maliki Blames U.S. -- L.A. Times
Iraq’s parliament will meet next week to begin the process of forming a new government, officials said Thursday, as Prime Minister Nouri Maliki blamed the United States for his army’s inability to stop Sunni Muslim insurgents who are threatening his grip on the country.
In an interview with the BBC’s Arabic-language service, Maliki said that the Iraqi army would have been able to block the insurgents’ advance into northern and western Iraq if the U.S. had moved more quickly to deliver fighter planes that Baghdad had purchased.
Apparently referring to F-16 jets that U.S. officials have said would arrive no earlier than September, Maliki said Iraqi officials had bought 36 of the planes and thought they would have received them by now.
Read more ....
Update: Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki blames US in crisis -- Sydney Morning Herald
My Comment: I have two things to say in response to the above L.A. Times report .... (1) When your country is being overrun by hardcore Islamic insurgents .... you use your authority to order parliament to meet right away .... not next week. And (2) .... blaming the U.S. for this mess is easy .... and while it is true that the planes and air cover that the U.S. had promised to deliver may have deterred some ISIS advances .... the real problem is on the ground and the ineffectiveness of the Iraqi Army to stop the ISIS. And who is responsible for the Iraqi Army? Everyone knows that the buck must stop at the desk of Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki ... and it is ultimately he who is responsible for this crisis.
Update: Iraq Buys Used Russian Fighter Jets Amid U.S. Delivery Delay -- Bloomberg
4 comments:
Could you add or enable a print button feature to your blog please.
"Private Iraqi news media reported that the country's forces airlifted commandos to a university in Tikrit, hometown of the late dictator Saddam Hussein, and the helicopters came under heavy fire from insurgents." LA Times
I do not get this move. These commandos are dead men. If the SAM threat is heavy, how are they to be resupplied?
The Sunni/Shia front has to be fluid enough and the possibility of linking up with ground forces moving up from the south for this to be a reasonable maneuver. Otherwise it is a heroic, stupid waste of life. I am not sure how heroic it is to throw one's life away when you won;t be so much as a speed bump.
You are reading my mind Aizino Smith. I am doing a post right now on today's Iraqi military helicopter assault on Tikrit. It should be posted in the next hour or two.
I will see if there is a print button feature available for blogger.
ISIS are running text book moves and USG is playing politics with response time. SF have been in country and most likely have painted targets. Why wait I wonder?
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