…Showing Strains.
"Tensions between Iraq and the United States over how to battle the Islamic State broke into the open on Tuesday, as Iraqi officials declared that they would fight on their own timetable with or without American help, and as United States warplanes conspicuously sat out the biggest Iraqi counteroffensive yet amid concerns over Iran's prominent role.
On Monday, Iraq launched a politically sensitive operation to oust Islamic State militants from Tikrit, the birthplace of Saddam Hussein, without seeking American approval, officials said. Even as Iraq was taking a first step into a bigger battle to oust the Islamic State from the northern city of Mosul, it was also signaling that its alliance with the United States might be more fraught than officials had let on…"
Full article here
link
Also…
US general: Iran role in Tikrit assault 'may be positive'
"Top US General Martin Dempsey has said Iran's involvement in dislodging "Islamic State" from the city of Tikrit could be "positive." Tens of thousands of Iraqi troops and Shiite militiamen have moved in around the city.
Dempsey said on Tuesday that the involvement of Iranian-backed Shiites in pushing "Islamic State" (IS) out of Sunni areas of northern Iraq could be "a positive thing" – provided it did not exacerbate sectarian tension.
The general, who is chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told US senators that Iran's military assistance for Shiite militia was nothing new, having been a reality since 2004…"
Full article here
link
Amicalement
Armand