Obama reaffirms no ground war in Iraq
During his visit to the U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Obama thanked service members and touted America's "Capacity and will" To mobilize against ISIL. He vowed to troops, "I will not commit you and the rest of our armed forces to fighting another ground war in Iraq." Ref. USAToday
Over 100 People Killed in Iraq Airstrikes, Clashes:
Over 100 people were killed and 79 others wounded in Iraq Thursday in US air strikes and clashes between the Iraqi security forces and insurgent militants, including those with the Islamic State(IS), officials and security sources said. Ref. Source 5
I despised Saddam's police state, but the Islamic State would not exist under his rule: Op-Ed:
Since moving to Los Angeles in 2009, I've realized that most Americans don't understand that Iraq used to be a modern, Westernized and secular country. Ref. Source 4
Iraqi soldiers describe heavy losses as Islamic State overruns camp:
Casualties among the Iraqi government forces appear to have been very heavy, with many soldiers either dead, forced to flee or missing following the assault near the city of Falluja, which Islamic State has controlled since January. Ref. Source 5
US Now Using Apache Helicopters to Attack ISIS in Iraq:
The U.S. Has begun using Apache AH-64 attack helicopters to strike at ISIS targets inside Iraq, the first time the aircraft have been used for offensive strikes since arriving in Baghdad in early July. Ref. Source 5
The Influential Iraqi Cleric Rallying Muslims Against ISIS:
Sistani called on the Shia-led government to keep Iraq united and reconcile with Sunnis. But he has also forcefully declared that foreign powers should not interfere in Iraq's political affairs. Ref. Source 9