What Obama Should Do to Combat Al-Qaeda in Iraq
6/15/14
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from Heritage Foundation,
6/11/14:
The resurgence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, formerly known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq, can be blamed on the lack of US-Iraqi cooperation, Heritage’s James Phillips reports.
“The abrupt U.S. military exit greatly weakened Iraqi counterterrorism, intelligence gathering, and special-operations capabilities, allowing Al-Qaeda to revive in a more permissive environment,” he argues.
To combat terrorism, Phillips recommends that the Obama administration:
1. Provide arms and assistance to help Iraq defeat ISIS; and
2. Press Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to reconcile with Iraq’s Sunni Arab and Kurdish leaders; and
3. Normalize relations with Iraq’s Kurdish political parties.
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