White House pushes for inclusive government in Iraq

World Today

After Iraq’s prime minister declared that no one in the region is safe from ISIL, the White House increases military engagement in Iraq while avoiding airstrikes and boots on the ground in Syria. CCTV’s Jessica Stone reports.

Despite avoiding deeper military engagement in Syria through diplomacy, the White House is finding it difficult to do so in Iraq in lieu of the dangers posed by Islamic militants.

On Wednesday, nearly half of Syria’s declared chemical weapons boarded a United States ship for destruction, which should be complete within the next two months. This comes after months of negotiations between the U.S., Russia, and the Middle East region, all in an effort to ultimately avoid direct military engagement.

In Iraq, the violence continues in major cities such as Takrit, showing the Iraqi military forces are making little progress against the Sunni militant group, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.

In the past two weeks alone, the U.S. has authorized as many as 770 troops, as well as armed drones and military helicopters.

The U.S. aircraft cannot be turned on Islamic militants without approval from President Barack Obama, who reached out to Saudi Arabian King Abdullah to encourage him to use his influence to get Iraq to form a unified government.

White House pushes for inclusive government in Iraq

After Iraq's prime minister declared that no one in the region is safe from ISIL, the White House increases military engagement in Iraq while avoiding airstrikes and boots on the ground in Syria. CCTV's Jessica Stone reports.