Obama Calls for International Assistance

The rising crisis in Iraq will require intervention from both the U.S. and international partners, President Obama said June 12. The insurgents sweeping down toward Baghdad from the north – a Sunni Muslim organization known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) – have seized Mosul and Tikrit. “We have been in close consultation with the Iraqi government,” Obama said. “I don’t rule out anything, because we do have a stake in making sure that these jihadists are not getting a permanent foothold in either Iraq or Syria.” Obama said he is “weighing options,” and will announce a more definite course of action in due time. He ruled out recommitting U.S. troops to Iraq. “Ultimately, it is up to Iraq as a sovereign nation to solve its problems,” he said.