Nov 13, 2014
General Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and President Obama's top military adviser, told members of Congress on Thursday that the U.S. is actively considering deploying a limited number of U.S. combat troops to fight alongside Iraqi soldiers moving to retake Mosul and other areas under the control of Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Iraq.
"I'm not predicting at this point that I would recommend that those forces in Mosul and along the border would need to be accompanied by U.S. forces, but we're certainly considering it," Dempsey told the House Armed Services Committee.
The statement comes just days after Obama authorized doubling the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, further indicating that U.S. forces will have the "boots on the ground" presence that Obama initially pledged against. Thus far, Obama has authorized the deployment of 3,100 U.S. advisers, trainers, and support personnel for Iraq, but has promised American forces would not be used in direct combat roles.
Critics point out that by most measures, the U.S. has already returned to ground combat in Iraq.
"If there are US troops on the front lines in al-Anbar, where ISIL has been expanding its reach in recent months, then unfortunately there are likely to be US casualties," Juan Cole said on Saturday. "These are boots on the ground, even if there are not combat platoons going into battle by themselves."
And as the Center for Constitutional Rights tweeted on Thursday, subsequent to Dempsey's testimony:
\u201cUS gov finally ran out of euphemisms for whom we're sending to #Iraq - now admitting it's "combat troops" https://t.co/OF28Em2THv\u201d— The CCR (@The CCR) 1415901402
The Guardianreports:
Even with potential US involvement in ground combat looming, Dempsey and his boss, defense secretary Chuck Hagel, said further troop increases would be "modest," and not on the order of the 150,000 US troops occupying Iraq at the height of the 2003-2011 war.
"I just don't foresee a circumstance when it would be in our interest to take this fight on ourselves with a large military contingent," Dempsey said.
But should the Iraqi military prove unwilling to take back "al-Anbar province and Ninewa province"--the majority of territory in Iraq seized by Isis--or should new Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi exclude Sunnis from power, "I will have to adjust my recommendations," Dempsey said.
No one is coming to save us. Join with us.
The world is a pretty dark place right now. Economic inequality off the charts. The climate emergency. Supreme Court corruption in the U.S. and corporate capture worldwide. Democracy in many nations coming apart at the seams. Fascism threatens. It’s enough to make you wish for some powerful being to come along and save us. But the truth is this: no heroes are coming to save us. The only path to real and progressive change is when well-informed, well-intentioned people—fed up with being kicked around by the rich, the powerful, and the wicked—get organized and fight for the better world we all deserve. That’s why we created Common Dreams. We cover the issues that corporate media never will and lift up voices others would rather keep silent. But this people-powered media model can only survive with the support of readers like you. Can you join with us and donate right now to Common Dreams’ Mid-Year Campaign? |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
General Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and President Obama's top military adviser, told members of Congress on Thursday that the U.S. is actively considering deploying a limited number of U.S. combat troops to fight alongside Iraqi soldiers moving to retake Mosul and other areas under the control of Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Iraq.
"I'm not predicting at this point that I would recommend that those forces in Mosul and along the border would need to be accompanied by U.S. forces, but we're certainly considering it," Dempsey told the House Armed Services Committee.
The statement comes just days after Obama authorized doubling the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, further indicating that U.S. forces will have the "boots on the ground" presence that Obama initially pledged against. Thus far, Obama has authorized the deployment of 3,100 U.S. advisers, trainers, and support personnel for Iraq, but has promised American forces would not be used in direct combat roles.
Critics point out that by most measures, the U.S. has already returned to ground combat in Iraq.
"If there are US troops on the front lines in al-Anbar, where ISIL has been expanding its reach in recent months, then unfortunately there are likely to be US casualties," Juan Cole said on Saturday. "These are boots on the ground, even if there are not combat platoons going into battle by themselves."
And as the Center for Constitutional Rights tweeted on Thursday, subsequent to Dempsey's testimony:
\u201cUS gov finally ran out of euphemisms for whom we're sending to #Iraq - now admitting it's "combat troops" https://t.co/OF28Em2THv\u201d— The CCR (@The CCR) 1415901402
The Guardianreports:
Even with potential US involvement in ground combat looming, Dempsey and his boss, defense secretary Chuck Hagel, said further troop increases would be "modest," and not on the order of the 150,000 US troops occupying Iraq at the height of the 2003-2011 war.
"I just don't foresee a circumstance when it would be in our interest to take this fight on ourselves with a large military contingent," Dempsey said.
But should the Iraqi military prove unwilling to take back "al-Anbar province and Ninewa province"--the majority of territory in Iraq seized by Isis--or should new Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi exclude Sunnis from power, "I will have to adjust my recommendations," Dempsey said.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
General Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and President Obama's top military adviser, told members of Congress on Thursday that the U.S. is actively considering deploying a limited number of U.S. combat troops to fight alongside Iraqi soldiers moving to retake Mosul and other areas under the control of Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Iraq.
"I'm not predicting at this point that I would recommend that those forces in Mosul and along the border would need to be accompanied by U.S. forces, but we're certainly considering it," Dempsey told the House Armed Services Committee.
The statement comes just days after Obama authorized doubling the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, further indicating that U.S. forces will have the "boots on the ground" presence that Obama initially pledged against. Thus far, Obama has authorized the deployment of 3,100 U.S. advisers, trainers, and support personnel for Iraq, but has promised American forces would not be used in direct combat roles.
Critics point out that by most measures, the U.S. has already returned to ground combat in Iraq.
"If there are US troops on the front lines in al-Anbar, where ISIL has been expanding its reach in recent months, then unfortunately there are likely to be US casualties," Juan Cole said on Saturday. "These are boots on the ground, even if there are not combat platoons going into battle by themselves."
And as the Center for Constitutional Rights tweeted on Thursday, subsequent to Dempsey's testimony:
\u201cUS gov finally ran out of euphemisms for whom we're sending to #Iraq - now admitting it's "combat troops" https://t.co/OF28Em2THv\u201d— The CCR (@The CCR) 1415901402
The Guardianreports:
Even with potential US involvement in ground combat looming, Dempsey and his boss, defense secretary Chuck Hagel, said further troop increases would be "modest," and not on the order of the 150,000 US troops occupying Iraq at the height of the 2003-2011 war.
"I just don't foresee a circumstance when it would be in our interest to take this fight on ourselves with a large military contingent," Dempsey said.
But should the Iraqi military prove unwilling to take back "al-Anbar province and Ninewa province"--the majority of territory in Iraq seized by Isis--or should new Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi exclude Sunnis from power, "I will have to adjust my recommendations," Dempsey said.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.