President Obama Authorizes Airstrikes in Iraq

United States President Barack Obama said on August 7 that he has authorized airstrikes in Iraq against Islamic State (IS) jihadists.

In a news briefing at the White House, the president said he also authorized a humanitarian effort to help save Iraqi civilians trapped at Mt. Sinjar in north Iraq.

“Good evening. Today I authorized two operations in Iraq. Targeted airstrikes to protect our American personnel, and a humanitarian effort to help save thousands of Iraqi civilians who are trapped on a mountain without food and water and facing almost certain death. … I’ve therefore authorized targeted airstrikes if necessary to help forces in Iraq as they fight to break the siege at Mount Sinjar and protect the civilians trapped there.”

The announcement comes as the Islamic State advances towards the city of Irbil, the regional capital of Iraqi Kurdish territory. Islamic State militants also just took control of Iraq’s largest dam, Mosul Dam, after they routed Kurdish forces from the facility.

In a blitz offensive in June, Islamic State terrorists had seized large chunks of northern and western Iraq, including Iraq’s second-largest city of Mosul.

The onslaught has pushed Iraq into its worst crisis since the 2011 withdrawal of U.S. troops. The airstrikes mark the deepest American engagement in Iraq since then. However, Obama said that American combat troops would not be sent back to Iraq.

Will America’s airstrikes be enough to keep Islamic State jihadists in check? Will Iraq recover from this violence? To learn what is ahead for Iraq, check out our article, “The World’s Newest, Most Radical State.”