US Flying Armored Drones over Baghdad: Worst is Over in Iraq

Local Editor

A US official confirmed that "the US military is flying a few armed drones over Iraq's capital in order to defend diplomats and American troops serving there."

"For the last 24 to 48 hours, we've started that," an anonymous official said.

"Any decision to attack extremists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant [ISIL] would have to be sanctioned by US President Barack Obama. Therefore, there are currently no plans to use the drones in airstrikes," officials said.

The sources called the presence of the drones "force protection." Last week, Obama said he was ready to take targeted military action if necessary.

Currently, there are around 500 American military personnel there who are drawn from special operations forces. A fresh batch of 180 military advisors have also just arrived.
In addition to the drones over Baghdad, piloted and unmanned aircraft are carrying out 30-35 surveillance flights a day, some of which include F-18 fighter jets that are flying from the USS George HW Bush aircraft carrier in the Gulf.

US officials also told Reuters on Friday that a joint US-Iraq operations center in Baghdad is set to open next week, and will be staffed by about 90 personnel.
The situation in Iraq has significantly deteriorated throughout the month of June as militants spearheaded by ISIL push south towards the capital Baghdad, taking major cities in the north of the country like Tikrit and Mosul.

More than 1,000 people have already died at the hands of the extremists, according to the UN.
Meanwhile, the worst of the insurgency in Iraq is "over", a former general who commanded US Marines and British forces in the 2003 US-led invasion said Friday, in a rare note of optimism over the crisis.

General James Conway said the insurgents who have overrun major parts of Iraq were unlikely to make any further significant gains.
"The worst is over," Conway said, and noted that "the ISIL are often probably surprised themselves with their degree of success."

But "they will not mess with the Kurds, they will not be able to take Baghdad and they can't go into the south where the oil fields are because it's all Shiite territory."

The Kurds already have their own autonomous region in the north and have defended key towns outside this area against the militants after federal forces withdrew.
Conway said that the Kurds may take advantage of the current situation and "establish once and for all a separate Kurdistan.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team