Obama to Congress: War Powers Resolution Enacted to Deploy 275 Troops to Iraq for 'Support and Security'
With the escalating Sunni insurgency in Iraq, President Barack Obama has notified Congress about deploying troops in Iraq.
White House press secretary Jay Carney confirmed President Obama's plans as part of the War Powers Resolution, a federal law that allows the president to use the U.S. military without the consent of Congress. The War Powers Resolution does require the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of using the armed forces.
According to Carney, approximately 275 U.S. military personnel will be deployed to Iraq for "support and security" for fellow U.S. personnel and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
"The personnel will provide assistance to the Department of State in connection with the temporary relocation of some staff from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to the U.S. Consulates General in Basra and Erbil and to the Iraq Support Unit in Amman," Carney said in a statement.
The White House press secretary added the Iraqi government gave consent for the U.S. military to enter the country.
Carney said the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad will remain open, and a "substantial majority" of the embassy's presence in Iraq will stay in place. He continued that the embassy will be "fully equipped" to fulfill its national security mission.
"This force is deploying for the purpose of protecting U.S. citizens and property, if necessary, and is equipped for combat," Obama said in a letter to lawmakers. "This force will remain in Iraq until the security situation becomes such that it is no longer needed."
The War Powers Resolution, though, notes the president must remove all troops after 60 days unless Congress grants an extension.
According to The Pentagon, 170 troops arrived in Baghdad last weekend, while another 100 were moved outside the country to assist in the relocation of some embassy staffers.
According to The Guardian, Iranian and U.S. officials held talks in Vienna about the growing violence in Iraq, even though the meeting's purpose was Iran's nuclear program. As Latin Post reported, the Sunni insurgent group, an al-Qaeda subsidiary known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has successfully seized several small towns and cities in Iraq. During the insurgency, hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and 1,700 Iraqi solders were allegedly killed. ISIS is led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, on whom the U.S. State Department has placed $10 million bounty.
The insurgency has alarmed the U.S. and Iran. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated he is ready to help Iraq and would engage with the U.S. on peace efforts.
"We need to go step-by-step and see what in fact might be a reality. But I would not rule out anything that would be constructive in providing real stability. We are open to any constructive process here that would minimize the violence," Kerry said to Yahoo! News.
Although American troops will be in Iraq, the White House said they will not enter combat.
"The president was very clear that we will not be sending U.S. troops back into combat in Iraq," White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a statement. "That remains the case, and he has asked his national security team to prepare a range of other options that could help support Iraqi security forces."
__
For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.