Just days ago, the Obama Administration was adamant about not getting more involved in Iraq’s fighting with al-Qaeda (AQI). The mounting losses on the Iraqi side have Congressional hawks pushing for US action, and the administration seems to be going along with the idea.
President Obama is now insisting Iraq “needs more help” in the fighting, and officials say he is considering virtually everything short of a new ground invasion, including US warplanes conducting air strikes against AQI fighters.
This action is likely imminent, as Vice President Joe Biden has called Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki to assure him the US is prepared to “intensify and accelerate security support.”
This is likely to include not only air strikes, but rushed shipments of weapons for the Iraqi Army, though since the Iraqi Army has been dropping its weapons and fleeing in the face of advancing militants, it seems the US shipments are just as likely to end up in al-Qaeda’s hands at the end of the day as they are to alter the battle.
