In the News

President Barack Obama said Thursday the U.S. will send up to 300 military advisers to Iraq to set up joint operation centers but was adamant no U.S. troops will be returning to combat roles to help slow violent sectarian fighting in the country.

The president also said Iraq should form a new government to better represent all Iraqis, calling for leaders with an inclusive agenda better able to overcome the nation’s deep sectarian divisions.

“It’s not our job to choose Iraq’s leaders,” the president said after meeting with his national security team.

The U.S. will also increase its intelligence efforts in Iraq and that targeted, precise military action still an option.

Although he said he’s prepared to send military advisers, the president stressed “American combat troops are not going to be fighting in Iraq again.”

Obama said helping the Iraq government stave off Sunni militant fighters sweeping across Iraq was in the U.S. national interest because it would help prevent a civil war that could destabilize the region and also prevent creation of a terrorist safe haven.

Obama said his strategy for Iraq means that “going forward, we will be prepared to take targeted and precise military action if and when we determine that the situation on the ground requires it.”

The president added Iran can play a constructive role in Iraq if it sends the same message of inclusiveness as the United States, adding “if Iran is coming in solely as an armed force on behalf of the Shia, and it is framed in that fashion, then that probably worsens the situation.”

Colorado response

Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora: “The President is wrong to provide any additional military assistance for the Shia-dominated government of Iraq until there is a process in place to bring about a reconciliation between the government and the disaffected Sunni Arab population. Additional military assistance, at any level,  prior to this, is fundamentally wrong and will only be seen as the United States intervening in a sectarian civil war.”