Beltway Insider:Obama Commits To Iraq; Benghazi Suspect Captured; Children Focus of Border Enforcement

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Category: Beltway Insider

Published on Sunday, 22 June 2014 18:06

Written by Janet Walker

President Obama announced, after conferring with his advisers, the newest Iraqi military policy developed after current intelligence revealed the level of insurgence, the determination of the ISIS and effectiveness of action in stopping advancement.

According to Gallup, President Obama's job approval, over the past week increased one percentage point to 41% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as President dropped one percentage points to 54%. 

Obama Commits To Iraq

President Obama announced his continued and dedicated support for the Iraqi people and continuation of the democratic government in place as he outlined the level of support the United States government is prepared to offer.

"The United States will continue to increase our support to Iraqi security forces.  We're prepared to create joint operation centers in Baghdad and northern Iraq to share intelligence and coordinate planning to confront the terrorist threat of ISIL.  Through our new Counterterrorism Partnership Fund, we're prepared to work with Congress to provide additional equipment.  We have had advisors in Iraq through our embassy, and we're prepared to send a small number of additional American military advisors -- up to 300 -- to assess how we can best train, advise, and support Iraqi security forces going forward," the President said.

Clarification of Military Assistance

Obama, in what appears to be an about face,  announced there will be no combat troops returning to Iraq, and did not rule out air strikes and stated he would be sending military advisors, to assist as the Iraqi government determines the best course of action to defend against the very well funded and determined ISIS.

"Military action is a component of the options the President is considering.  But to reiterate what we have been saying, this is not primarily a military challenge.  Iraq needs help to break the momentum of extremist groups and bolster the capabilities of Iraq security forces, but there is no military solution that will sustainably solve Iraq's problems.  And any consideration of military action must be informed by the situation on the ground and the objectives to be obtained, as well as the consequences of its use," said White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney.

White House officials are deeply concerned over the deteriorating situation within Iraq. The commitment to send military advisors is directly correlated to the decision to relocate American consulate employees located in Baghdad.

Securing American Personal

Relocating the embassy personal is precautionary as intelligence has indicated the ISIS insurgents are with 40miles of the capital city. Backed by loyalists of Osama bin Laden and aligned with Syria, the terror organization has made their objectives, spoken and unspoken, toward Americans clear.

 "The President has been clear, as I have again today we are not sending U.S. troops back into combat in Iraq.  But that's the only option he's ruled out.  We are obviously assessing a variety of different options.  We're pursuing an approach that has as only one component the contemplation of direct action we could take.  The questions you asked at the beginning about fully understanding the objectives that could be achieved by direct action is absolutely appropriate," Carney said.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has offered assistance to the White House, as they have a direct interest in containing the recent unrest.  Rouhani, well acquainted with insurgences, anarchy, terrorists as well as the interests of the American government, is under constant monitoring due to the dismantling of their nuclear program.

ISIS, loyal to Osama Bin Laden and aligned with Syria, has advanced further and has more resources available than any terror group in history, considering Osama Bin Laden was oil funded the money behind this well funded terror group must be considerable.

"When it comes to the options that the President is considering, first of all, I want to make clear the President has ruled out only sending U.S. troops back into combat in Iraq.  Ultimately, the solution that is needed is an Iraqi one, and any U.S. action, including any possible military action, would be in support of a strategy to build the capacity of the Iraqis to effectively and sustainably counter the threat posed by extremists," said  White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney.

The United States has learned from history, even as recent as Benghazi, these protection of dedicated American citizens working in these hotspot terror regions depend on the President to ensure their safety.  It wouldn't be the first time an embassy employees were taken hostage.

Under the Ayatollah Khomeini, former leader of Iran, the American embassy was targeted by insurgents as 66 American diplomats and employees were taken hostages November 4, 1979. The siege lasted 444 days, a failed rescue attempt ended with the death of eight servicemen and the accidental destruction of two aircraft. The hostages were freed January 20, 1981 when Ronald Regan took office.

President Obama and leading democrats continue to put Americans at risk as sacrificial lambs in failed policy. The ISIS is founded on Al-Qaeda principals that call for the destruction of American citizens and global terror.

Benghazi Suspect Captured

The White House announced, Ahmed Abu Khatallah, a key figure in the terror attack on the Benghazi American Consulate September 11, 2012 that left four Americans dead, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, has been captured.

"The Department of Defense has issued a statement confirming that the United States military, in cooperation with law enforcement personnel, captured Ahmed Abu Khatallah, a key figure in the attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, in September of 2012.  He is in U.S. custody in a secure location outside of Libya," Carney said.

The terror attack, which then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton assumed all responsibility has been the continued focus of repeated investigations by House and Senate leaders with parties spilt on the value or importance of the continued search for truth.

The attack that occurred on the anniversary of September 11 was considered a victory for terrorist around the world and proof the American defenses are weak against the zealotry and extremists of the Islamic Militant.

Ambassador Stevens died at a local hospital after the embassy was overrun by Libyan terrorists, set fire and burned to the ground.  

Security, especially as Arab Spring the uprisings that began on December 18, 2010 accompanied by the violence and overthrow of 21 governments throughout the Middle East and Arab peninsula was still considered a threat with heightened security measure taken in those countries as well as the anniversary of the greatest victory the known terror world had, was not increased.

Initial speculation and propaganda, as the attacked occurred less than two months before the Presidential Election, indicated an isolated incident due to outrage over a Muslim film.

This White House media feed, included an apparent arrest of the filmmaker, was later dispelled as documents sent by the former ambassador concerned over his safety surfaced. The militants were armed with missiles and rifles with intimate knowledge of the compound also suggesting a planned attack.

The siege on the consulate began with an exchange of gunfire which ignited a fire within the compound. Security forces and Embassy staff were unable to contain. The majority of the staff escaped to a safe house, who location was also compromised, Ambassador Stevens was somehow separated from his security detail, and taken to a local hospital where medical professional were unable to resuscitate him.

 "We have made it clear since that cowardly attack on our facilities that we would go to any lengths to find, apprehend, and bring to justice those who perpetrated it and were responsible for the deaths of four Americans.  The capture of Abu Khatallah is not the end of that effort, but it marks an important milestone," Carney said.

Children Focus of Border Enforcement

President Obama is maintaining his efforts to build support for his immigration plan, which allows for illegal immigrants, post entry, to earn or buy American citizenship through governmental service or full time college enrollment.

The President and leading democrats also maintain the immigration system is broken, and believe it needs a 21^st century overhaul. Voters, on the other hand, as evidenced in the stunning defeat of former House Minority Leader Eric Cantor, are less optimistic about revamping the immigration policies to accommodate the nearly 11million who have overburdened the government illegally.

As Immigration has proven to be contentious among voters Immigration issues remain present on the President's Agenda, the issues surrounding illegal entry has become the focus of increased security and Department of Homeland Security.

The current miscommunication issue within the immigration community is what is known as "Deferred Action."

Vice President Joseph Biden has been entrusted to further the President's Immigration reform plan and agenda to the President's of Guatemalan, El Salvador and Honduras.

"The facts around U.S. immigration policy are well understood is the main factor behind having the Vice President meet with the Presidents in those three Central American countries.  Our embassies in those countries are also undertaking public messaging and the governments themselves are making clear to their own publics that people who travel -- that minors who travel under this current migration are not going to be eligible for deferred action, nor will they be benefiting from any comprehensive immigration reform," said Ricardo Zuñiga, the Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs in the National Security Council.

Obama's current policy which is globally interpreted as soft and an invitation to illegal's as the reward is seen as greater than the risk which is the motivation behind the President and his Latin American counterparts current move toward wide scale dissemination of information clearly stating children stopped or captured at the border will not be eligible for deferred action status and will face immediate deportation proceedings.

Deferred action is widely circulated, throughout Latin American countries as a delayed response, which can result in minors receiving special treatment which includes U.S. entry even to an internment style camp and has resulted in a surge of parents entrusting their children to strangers for transportation across the border.

"We have a shared interest in the safety of children, and that what we have seen is an influx of unaccompanied minors at the border between the United States and Mexico, and that's something that we're concerned about.  And there have been a number of steps that have been ramped up to try to meet the humanitarian needs of children who show up on the border and are apprehended by the Border Patrol," said Josh Earnest, Principal Deputy Press Secretary.

The Presidents current plan is to double agents to hinder those attempting to gain entry into the United States through known channels across the southwest.

The White House claims the border patrol is better staffed than at any time in history "having doubled the number of agents from approximately 10,000 in 2004 to more than 21,000 in 2011. More than 2,200 Border Patrol agents man the Northern border, a 700 percent increase since 9/11. More than 21,000 Customs and Border Protection Officers, including 3,800 along Northern Border, manage the flow of people and goods at our ports of entry and crossings,"

For more information on President Barack Obama: www.whitehouse.gov

Sources: Whitehouse.org, Wikipedia.com,