Obama Weighs Airstrikes or Aid to Help Trapped Iraqis, Officials Say

Obama Weighs Airstrikes or Aid to Help Trapped Iraqis, Officials Say

WASHINGTON — President Obama is considering airstrikes or airdrops of food and medicine to address a humanitarian crisis among as many as 40,000 religious minorities in Iraq who have been dying of heat and thirst on a mountaintop after death threats from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, administration officials said on Thursday.

The president, in meetings with his national security team at the White House on Thursday morning, has been weighing a series of options ranging from dropping humanitarian supplies on Mount Sinjar to military strikes on the fighters from ISIS now at the base of the mountain, a senior administration official said.

The administration had been delaying taking any military action against ISIS until there is a new Iraqi government. Both White House and Pentagon officials have said privately that the United States would not intervene militarily until Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki stepped down.

But administration officials said on Thursday that the crisis on Mount Sinjar may be forcing their hand.

So, we might be executing airstrikes on ISIS. I wonder what kind of can of worms this is going to open up?

www.nytimes.com...

About bloody time.......!!
The idea of sending troops is one thing....Airstrikes another.....
The Kurds had to pull back from protecting Christian towns, leaving the civilians to flee or fend for themselves....
Airstrikes and Humanitarian air drops would be a minimal response, and the right way to go.....
ISIS must die.......

a reply to: LrdRedhawk

According to the commentary being aired on CNN, ISIS has been capturing women and selling them into slavery, and executing men by the hundreds...kids are apparently now dying of thirst too.

The U.S. (and Allies if necessary), need to draw the line in the sand with ISIS right here and right now.

I only pray that Obama will do the right thing here...no time for posturing and pontificating.

I would think if the US does Airdrops of food and medicine, it would end up in the wrong hands, thus creating more choas and fear. Giving ISIS more leverage over the civilian population. What a mess

I totally agree. I'm surprised someone hasn't wiped the ground with ISIS' face already. I can't help but think there must be some underlying agenda to allow them to continue, you know since they're using money and weapons that we gave them. /sarcasm

Tell Obama to keep out of it. Let them decide their own fate. I don't care what went on before (desert storm blah,blah,blah) oh we caused this so there-fore we must help to sort it out. We DID NOT cause ISIS troubles or any other rebel group vying for power. They made their own bed so let them lie in it. As I said before the sooner the oil runs out in that area the better the world will be. Before anybody disagrees think on this. ALL the middle east countries have been paid BILLIONS in oil revenue but what have the ordinary man in the street seen of it? Nothing, nada. Their own people in power have used the revenue for their own personal and religious reasons and this is the slice of the cake that the rebels want before it runs out.

originally posted by: crayzeed
Tell Obama to keep out of it. Let them decide their own fate. I don't care what went on before (desert storm blah,blah,blah) oh we caused this so there-fore we must help to sort it out. We DID NOT cause ISIS troubles or any other rebel group vying for power. They made their own bed so let them lie in it. As I said before the sooner the oil runs out in that area the better the world will be. Before anybody disagrees think on this. ALL the middle east countries have been paid BILLIONS in oil revenue but what have the ordinary man in the street seen of it? Nothing, nada. Their own people in power have used the revenue for their own personal and religious reasons and this is the slice of the cake that the rebels want before it runs out.

No...tell Obama to step on it, and step on ISIS.

These religious minorities and the Christians under siege in no way "made this bed" they are in with these Islamist monsters.

originally posted by: LrdRedhawk
I totally agree. I'm surprised someone hasn't wiped the ground with ISIS' face already. I can't help but think there must be some underlying agenda to allow them to continue, you know since they're using money and weapons that we gave them. /sarcasm

The more moderate arab nations don't like to get into scuffles with the fundamentalists. They're content to sit back and let someone else do the dirty work. They'll leave it up to the US to step in which, in turn, will further rile the fundamentalist nations and their supporters.

(think Egypt sitting idly by while Israel and the palestinians fight over, among other things, Egypt's closed border)

a reply to: Crakeur

Yeah that's true. Sometimes I really get sick and tired of all the violence in the Middle East. If it's not one group, it's another, and has been that way for centuries. I think the world should totally leave the Middle East alone and munch popcorn while they all annihilate each other and get it over with. The world would be a better place if the whole Middle East just sank into the ocean.

a reply to: LrdRedhawk
As soon as he calls Hillary and asks her what she would do.

a reply to: LrdRedhawk

Too much at stake over there to idly watch them self-destruct but there has to be a better solution. Part of the problem is that these are nomadic cultures that have always survived on some form of violence and they seem to need that violence to exist.

Breaking:

White House: 'There are no American military solutions to the problems in Iraq' - @Reuters

a reply to: Crakeur
Just what is the too much at stake? Apart from the black stuff (which I heard rumoured to have reached peak in 1999) they have NOTHING. Now the countries! That's a different matter. They are the cradle of modern society with the archaeology, mostly still to be discovered, which the present incumbents seem hell bent on destroying it. The only thing that we should be concerned about(if we left them alone) is that it would give the extremists free rein to indoctrinate future fighters to export to us.

originally posted by: LrdRedhawk
Breaking:

White House: 'There are no American military solutions to the problems in Iraq' - @Reuters

So no food/medicine either?

a reply to: crayzeed

Oil plays a big part and I think there's got to be something else over there, buried in the sand perhaps, that results in anyone giving that oceanless beach even a passing interest.

I don't know what it is but there has to be another explanation for the centuries long fighting over such a large swath of practically useless sand.

Yep its called RELIGION.....

originally posted by: Crakeur
a reply to: crayzeed

I don't know what it is but there has to be another explanation for the centuries long fighting over such a large swath of practically useless sand.

We were always going to bomb ISIS in Iraq, it's the best if not only way to justify bombing ISIS strongholds in Syria. By ISIS strongholds I mean Assad's military assets.

originally posted by: LrdRedhawk
a reply to: Crakeur

Yeah that's true. Sometimes I really get sick and tired of all the violence in the Middle East. If it's not one group, it's another, and has been that way for centuries. I think the world should totally leave the Middle East alone and munch popcorn while they all annihilate each other and get it over with. The world would be a better place if the whole Middle East just sank into the ocean.

If the westerners stop intervening in the ME affairs I am sure they can relatively get along fine as they did for centuries before oil and resources became an issue for UK and later the US and Israel...Some people can turn to sadistic morons,it happens all over the world specially if you arm them,throw dollars at them and talk about them while showing their pictures on the big screen.

We need to look long term.

Our actions in Syria played a part in ISIS formation.
Our actions in Iraq played a part in ISIS formation.

Our foreign policy played a part in ISIS formation.

Will ISIS be a threat to America now or even 10 years from now?

If so, will the administration pass the buck or look to resolve a potential issue.