A former US diplomat says it is very unlikely that the United States would send troops to Iraq under the current Å“circumstances.”
Å“It is fairly safe to predict that America will not send troops into Iraq for a number of reasons,” Edward Peck, former US chief of mission in Iraq, told Press TV on Monday, stressing that his view does not represent that of the US governmentâ„¢s.
Among the reasons, the former ambassador said, is that Å“it wouldnâ„¢t make much difference to send in small numbers” of troops as Å“we failed” before with large numbers.
Peck made the comments as US Army Gen. Ray Odierno expressed his opposition Tuesday to sending American ground troops back to Iraq in the wake of the latest violence in the country.
According to Gen. Odierno, Washington should remain engaged diplomatically to help the Iraqi government get its political system back on track.
For a lot of Å“domestic reasons,” Peck said, Americans are not Å“very pleased with what has happened up until now and recognize or are beginning recognize that the problems in Iraq and Syria and elsewhere are not really similar to many problems that we have at this time right here in this country.”
On Monday, US Congressman Adam Kinzinger criticized the Obama administration for pulling out troops from Iraq, saying Washington should assist the Iraqi government with limited air power and intelligence operations.
Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that the US was ready to help Iraq in any way possible but he made it clear that no troops would be sent in.
The cities of Fallujah and Ramadi in the Anbar Province have been the scene of deadly clashes between the Iraqi army and al-Qaeda-affiliated militants over the past days.
AN/HJ
Source: Press TV