Ben Rhodes, President Barack Obamas deputy national security adviser, told reporters Wednesday the U.S. would consider using ground troops in Iraq to help rescue thousands of Yazidi refugees trapped on a mountain, the New York Times reports. The AP reported earlier that Obama is considering a few military options to help the refugees, who attempted to flee Iraq to avoid the Islamic State, the militant group formerly known as ISIS. There needs to be a lasting solution that gets that population to a safe space where they can receive more permanent assistance, Rhodes told reporters in Marthas Vineyard, where Obama is currently on vacation. Rhodes reiterated that the president has ruled out reintroducing U.S. forces into combat on the ground in Iraq, but insisted the deployment of troops to aid in the rescue of refugees would be different than reintroducing U.S. forces in a combat role. The AP reported earlier: A U.S. military-led rescue mission on Sinjar Mountain would almost certainly put American troops in harms way. But Rhodes insisted that their mission would be strictly a humanitarian rescue and would not constitute a return to combat. We dont believe that involves U.S. troops re-entering a combat role in Iraq, he said. It involves frankly a very difficult logistical challenge of moving folks who are in danger on that mountain into a safer position. Rhodes also suggested the U.S. would undertake a rescue mission with help from allies, including Kurdish forces that are receiving arms from the U.S., and the British. Read more at the New York Times.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 20:11:48 +0000
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