Current Event kyla cakarnis

Pressure for the United States to provide military support to Iraq's struggling government has increased, with conservative Republicans blaming Obama for the crisis by pulling out U.S. troops in 2011 to create a security vacuum. GOP critics also say that Obama's unwillingness to provide significant military backing to opposition forces in Syria's civil war has contributed to the ability of the militant Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, attack in Iraq. Taking questions from reporters after his statement, Obama acknowledged that the Syrian civil war has been spilling over into Iraq "for some time now," adding that the regional conflict "is going to be a long-term problem" and that the Iraqi government now sought U.S. help after previously resisting offers. Obama also noted that Iraqi troops weren't "willing to stand and fight" against the militant attackers, calling it a "problem in terms of morale" and commitment that reflected the political divisions in the country. Now, he said, the violence could worsen if Sunni militants sweeping across Iraq take over sacred Shia sites. Earlier, Secretary of State John Kerry mentioned some initial U.S. moves to back the Maliki government, but stopped short of spelling out further steps that could include air strikes intended to slow the progress of militants and help the Iraqi military regain its equilibrium.

This is concerning. We were just starting to remove troops and now we may go back. We helped the country to be able to support and defend itself and now they are not following through. Even Obama admitted that we cannot help them, only they can truly help themselves. We should not lose more american lives for a country that is unwilling to help itself.