US Secretary of State John Kerry has stated that United States will not “turn our backs” on Iraq, saying US President Barack Obama was studying a “range of options, including military action” in response to the ongoing events in the country.
Speaking at a press conference in London, Mr Kerry said,
Their comments come as Iraq's most senior Shia Muslim cleric issued a call to arms, with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) gaining control of further territory in Iraq.
Labelling ISIS an enemy of civility, rule of law, pluralism and decency, Kerry also added the events had to be “a real wake up call for all of Iraq's political leaders”, calling on them to be “pluralistic” and “put national interests first”.
Kerry stated,
See coverage of the press conference on our Twitter feed here - @TamilGuardian.
Responding to a question from Sky News, Kerry went on to say that events in Iraq were “primarily a result of the escalating war in Syria and its empowering effect on ISIS”, adding that the “increased number of jihadists attracted to Syria because of Assad's behaviour” were creating a danger to the region.
In his concluding remarks, the Secretary of State said,
Speaking at a press conference in London, Mr Kerry said,
“President Obama met with his senior foreign policy team yesterday afternoon. We had a comprehensive meeting regarding the events in Iraq. We discussed a range of options including military action.”Mr Kerry was joined by British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who said the UK was looking at assisting Iraq with counter-terrorism measures, but added “that doesn't mean we are planning a military intervention”.
Their comments come as Iraq's most senior Shia Muslim cleric issued a call to arms, with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) gaining control of further territory in Iraq.
 Photograph: Tamil Guardian |
Labelling ISIS an enemy of civility, rule of law, pluralism and decency, Kerry also added the events had to be “a real wake up call for all of Iraq's political leaders”, calling on them to be “pluralistic” and “put national interests first”.
Kerry stated,
“There is a clarity that what has been lacking in these last weeks and months in Iraq, is not a trained capacity of the military to respond... but a lack of political will. That political will and leadership is a critical component of what we have been working on now for several years.”Adding the US was “laser focused”, he went on to say “given the gravity of the situation, I would anticipate a timely decision from the President regarding the challenge.”
See coverage of the press conference on our Twitter feed here - @TamilGuardian.
Responding to a question from Sky News, Kerry went on to say that events in Iraq were “primarily a result of the escalating war in Syria and its empowering effect on ISIS”, adding that the “increased number of jihadists attracted to Syria because of Assad's behaviour” were creating a danger to the region.
In his concluding remarks, the Secretary of State said,
“I don't think anyone in the region or in this administration believes that it is in interests of the United States to turn our backs that.”