Kerry says U.S. will act soon on Iraq, but at request of Baghdad government

 LONDON — President Obama will act soon to help address the surge of violence in Iraq, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Friday, hinting that U.S. military intervention could be in the offing.

Asked by reporters about the possibility of U.S. airstrikes against radical Islamist insurgents who have seized territory in northern Iraq and are threatening the capital, Kerry did not directly address the question. But he repeatedly noted that the Iraqi government is asking for outside help. Any U.S. military intervention in Iraq would come only by invitation and would be in line with international law, Kerry said.

Kerry and other top national security aides met with Obama on Thursday at the White House, but no immediate decisions were announced. Kerry said the group discussed possible military intervention, but he gave no details.

In response to a question Thursday about whether he was considering drone strikes, Obama said a number of options were being considered. “It’s fair to say . . . there will be some short-term, immediate things that need to be done militarily,” he said, noting that no options have been ruled out.

The government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has requested strikes from U.S. drones or piloted aircraft “in the last several weeks,” as well as additional intelligence-sharing, as militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have stepped up attacks in Iraq, according to a senior Obama administration official in Washington.  

As long as there is an invitation from the sovereign government, the United States does not need United Nations approval to act........................http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/kerry-says-us-will-act-soon-on-iraq-but-at-request-of-baghdad-government/2014/06/13/53ddc5f0-f2f9-11e3-9ebc-2ee6f81ed217_story.html?wprss=rss_homepage
13/6/14
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