US to deploy 'up to 300' US military 'advisers' to Iraq
'American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq'
US president sidesteps question about Maliki
'It's not our job to choose Iraq's leaders'
More fighting for control of Baiji oil refinery
Read the latest summary
7.19pm BST
Here's a summary of Obama's statement and Q&A:
Obama said the US would deploy up to 300 "military advisers" to Iraq but said "American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq."
7.02pm BST
"Our view is that Iran can play a constructive role if it is helping to send the same message to the Iraqi government that we're sending," which is that the government must be inclusive, Obama says:
If Iran is coming in only as an armed force on behalf of the Shia ... then that probably worsens the situation.
Just as Iraq's leaders have to make decisions, I think Iran has heard from us. We've indicated to them that it is important to avoid the kinds of steps that might encourage the kind of sectarian splits that might lead to civil war.
6.59pm BST
Obama: "Right now is a moment when the fate of Iraq hangs in the balance and the test is going to be whether they can overcome ..." sectarian divisions and form a unity government.
He says the US must ensure ISIL is not attaining "the capacity to threaten us directly us or our partners."
6.57pm BST
"The one bit of encouraging news we've seen inside of Iraq is that all the parties say that they continue to be committed" to forming a national government, Obama says.
As the prospects of civil war heighten, [there are] many Iraqi leaders stepping up and saying, let's not plunge back into the abyss.'
But they don't have a lot of time.
6.55pm BST
Obama is asked whether the US isn't rather powerless in Iraq. What's the leverage?
The US provides assistance in good faith, the president replies:
We don't have territorial ambitions. We're not looking to control their assets or energy. We want to make sure we're vindicating the enormous ... sacrifice that was made by our troops in order to give them an opportunity ... to build an open society.
At the same time they are a sovereign country. They have their own politics ... Now that they are in crisis, we are indicating to them that there's not going to be a simple military solution to this issue.
6.53pm BST
Obama is taking a broader view of the terrorist threat as the US sees it:
Rather than try to play Whack-a-Mole wherever these terrorist organizations pop up, what we do is have to build effective partnerships ... we've got to shift to make sure we have coverage in the Middle East and North Africa ... You look at a country like Yemen. There we do have a committed partner in president Hadi and his government. And we have been able to develop their capacities...
We need to have actual governments on the ground we could partner with.
6.49pm BST
Q: Does the expansion of the Syrian war into Iraq change your mind about the Syrian war?
That assessment about the dangers of what is happening in Syria existed since the very beginning," Obama says. "The question has always been, is there the capacity of a moderate opposition ... to absorb and counteract extremists?
And so, we have consistently provided that opposition with support. Oftentimes the challenge is if you have former farmers or teachers or pharmacists who now are taking up opposition against a battle-hardened regime with support from external actors, how quickly can you get them trained?
6.46pm BST
Q: Do you wish you would have left a residual force in Iraq?
"Keep in mind, that wasn't a decision made by me, that was a decision made by the Iraqi government," Obama says. "We offered."
6.46pm BST
Obama addresses the spectre of jihadists fighting in Iraq and then returning to Europe and the US and "creating a cadre that could harm us.":
The initial effort for us to get situational awareness through the reconnaissance and surveillance that we've already done, coupled with our best people on the ground ... starting with the perimeter around Baghdad to make sure that's not overrun ...
6.43pm BST
Asked about possible "mission creep," the president says, "Let me repeat":
American combat troops are not going to be fighting in Iraq again. We do not have the ability to simply solve this problem by sending in tens of thousands of troops and committing the kind of blood and treasure that has already been expended in Iraq. Ultimately this is going to have to be solved by Iraqis."
6.40pm BST
First question is on Prime Minister of Iraq Nouri al-Maliki.
"It's not our job to choose Iraq's leaders," Obama says. "Part of what our patriots fought for ... is the right of Iraqis to choose their own leaders."
6.38pm BST
Obama says the wounds of Iraq, "vigorous debates and intense emotions," are still raw.
"What's clear is the need for the US to [hold a debate] before taking action abroad," he says.
6.37pm BST
Obama names five steps the US is taking.
1. We are working to secure our embassy and our personnel, he says. To relocate some and to better secure the facility.
Iraqi leaders must rise above their differences and come together to [forge] a political plan for Iraq's future," Obama says. "National unity meetings have to go forward ... the new parliament must convene as soon as possible."
6.32pm BST
President Obama has begun speaking at the White House. You can watch his comments live on C-SPAN here.
6.26pm BST
The Associated Press moves another anonymously sourced report with more details about the anticipated deployment of 100 commandoes to Iraq "to advise and assist the Iraq forces":
A U.S. official says the Obama administration is poised to announce it will send about 100 Army special forces members, divided into teams of about a dozen each, to advise and assist the Iraq forces.
There are already a handful of the special forces in Iraq that have been there as part of the Office of Security Cooperation in Baghdad. They would likely be the first to be sent out as part of this plan, said the official who was not authorized to speak publicly and thus talked on condition of anonymity. The other Green Berets would be brought in from around the region.
6.08pm BST
The Associated Press has further reporting, drawing on anonymous officials, on what president Obama is expected to say. In short: 100 Green Berets, no immediate air strikes, no call for a Maliki resignation. AP:
President Barack Obama is also expected to announce Thursday that he is deploying about 100 Green Berets to Iraq to help train and advise Iraqi forces, according to a U.S. official. However, Obama does not plan to announce immediate U.S. airstrikes on Iraq, which have increasingly become less of a focus of deliberations in recent days.
Obama was not expected to publicly call for al-Maliki to resign and was instead likely to say that Iraqis must make their own political decisions. U.S. officials said there was concern within the administration that pushing al-Maliki too hard might stiffen his resolve to stay in office and drive him closer to Iran, which is seeking to keep the Shiite leader in power.
5.57pm BST
The Washington Post correspondent in Baghdad flags an admonishment by the Iraqi military spokesman: Do not trust cabbies.
Iraq military spox Qassem Atta says ISIS is using taxi drivers to spread propaganda, warns Iraqis not to believe what taxi drivers say
5.54pm BST
Programming note: President Obama's address has been delayed until 1.15pm ET... at least. More to come.
5.53pm BST
Have a question about what's happening in Iraq? A comment?Guardian reporters, editors and contributors are taking both from readers now at this web page. Please give the forum a visit and add your insights and inquiries.
Well add responses from our panel at the end of the week. Thank you for your participation.
5.49pm BST
Ali Khedery has a provocative post on Foreign Policy's Best Defense blog: "Mulling Iraq options: Begin by telling me which of these groups you want to bomb":
As President Obama considers his options and consults with Congress, I ask my fellow Americans calling for immediate military action: who do you wanna bomb? Because, as you'll see below, Iraq is a target-rich environment, where literally all factions have blood-soaked hands. These are the players actively fighting across Iraq today:
5.13pm BST
House speaker John Boehner has said he thinks the Obama administration needs to do more to combat terrorism. The AP reports:
Speaker John Boehner says he has long called on Obama to take more action against terrorism. He says with violence spreading in places like Iraq, Syria and Libya, it seems like in his words, "the wheels are coming off" the administration's anti-terrorism efforts.
Boehner spoke to reporters shortly before Obama was scheduled to speak at the White House about his plans for Iraq. An offensive by Sunni militants there is threatening to push that country into a civil war.
5.02pm BST
Obama is in a meeting with his national security team before his 12.30pm announcement, Guardian Washington correspondent Paul Lewis (@PaulLewis) reports:
The meeting includes the chairman of the joints chief of staff, general Martin Dempsey, and the director of national intelligence, James Clapper.
The meeting got under way in the White House a few minutes ago, according to a pool report. It also includes vice president Joe Biden, secretary of state John Kerry, the defence secretary, Chuck Hagel, and several of the most senior Obama advisors, lawyers and staff.
4.52pm BST
As our live blog coverage continues, here's a summary of where things stand:
President Barack Obama was to speak at the White House about Iraq at 12.30pm ET. Forerunning reports said the US was sending 100 special forces troops to Iraq.
4.49pm BST
The AP and AFP back up CNN's report that president Obama will announce he is sending 100 special forces troops to Iraq.
AP:
President Barack Obama is also expected to announce Thursday that he is deploying about 100 special operations forces to Iraq to help train and advise Iraqi forces, according to a U.S. official. The president has said he has no plans to send Americans to Iraq for combat missions.
The United States is considering deploying 100 special operations troops to advise the Iraqi army in its defense of Baghdad from Sunni extremists, a US defense official said Thursday.
The president is "leaning" toward a limited course of action that would "embed" the commandos already at the ready in the region with Iraqi forces but not call for US bombing raids, the official told AFP.
4.32pm BST
Maliki's shuffling of his military appears to continue, with AFP reporting the prime minister has "ordered security officers back to active duty":
"Officers from brigadier general and lower have been transferred to units according to their specialisation and classification," Maliki said in a statement read on state television.
4.29pm BST
US officials are holding meetings with Iraqi leaders, including longtime conversational counterpart Ahmad Chalabi, to discuss a possible post-Maliki government, the New York Times reports:
Over the past two days the American ambassador, Robert S. Beecroft, along with Brett McGurk, the senior State Department official on Iraq and Iran, have met with Usama Nujaifi, the leader of the largest Sunni contingent, United For Reform, and with Ahmad Chalabi, one of the several potential Shiite candidates for prime minister, according to people close to each of those factions, as well as other political figures.
Ahmad Chalabi for prime minister? NYT seems to think so. http://t.co/lePwZ4xlre #iraq
4.18pm BST
Forty Indian construction workers abducted in Iraq have spoken with family members in India, AFP reports:
Armed militants abducted the workers on Monday from a stadium where they were working in the northern city of Mosul but no demands for ransom have been made, the Iraqi Red Crescent Society told AFP.
The Indian citizens were being held together with other abducted foreigners and "every avenue will be pursued" to secure their release, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said.
4.11pm BST
"It is unclear whether Obama or other administration officials would publicly call for al-Maliki to resign," the Associated Press reports:
U.S. officials said there is concern within the administration that pushing al-Maliki too hard might stiffen his resolve to stay in office and drive him closer to Iran, which is seeking to keep the Shiite leader in power.
However, officials said, the administration does want to see evidence of a leadership transition plan being put in place in Iraq.
3.58pm BST
The White House has announced a briefing by president Obama to begin at 12.30pm ET. The usual daily White House briefing has been canceled.
CNN has reported that the US will deploy special forces troops to Iraq. It is unclear whether the deployment CNN mentions is in addition to or part of a contingent of up to 275 troops the White House announced on Tuesday would be sent to protect the embassy in Baghdad.
BREAKING: Pentagon Plans to Send 100 Special Forces to Iraq. Watch the latest on CNN TV.
3.33pm BST
Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced that volunteers who fight in "hot areas" with the country's security forces will be given 750,000 Dinars ($644) per month, state television said on Thursday. Reuters reports:
Non-fighting volunteers will be paid 500,000 Dinars ($450) and all volunteers will be given an extra 125,000 Dinar ($107) food allowance per month, the statement said.
Insurgents took two cities in northern Iraq last week and many soldiers have fled their posts during the continuing offensive, straining the army.
3.25pm BST
The eagerness of former members of the president George W Bush administration and others who cheered the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 to explain what has gone wrong now and to give advice about what to do next has sparked a lively debate over whether people who arguably were exactly wrong on the topic should be allowed to join the present discussion.
3.02pm BST
Fanar Haddad, a research fellow at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore, sets out four reasons why getting rid of Maliki is not the answer to the crisis.
You can read his arguments in full in the Washington Post. Heres No.1:
First, although this will be hard to believe for anyone outside the prime ministers support base, Maliki commands considerable popularity. Indeed, the most recent elections clearly showed that he is the least unpopular Iraqi politician, with more than 720,000 personal votes and by far the largest parliamentary bloc. Even more baffling to the uninitiated, the current crisis is likely to have augmented his popularity, a result of existential fears if for no other reason.
2.38pm BST
Iraq's oil ministry has threatened to sue news agencies who have reported that the Baiji refinery is under the control of Isis.
In a statment it dennounced a number of agencies including AFP and Reuters. It said:
The ministry confirmed that the security forces are in control of the refinery and its surroundings vicinity and have stopped terrorists approaching. All claims made otherwise are incorrect.
1.51pm BST
Saudi Arabia has warned against foreign meddling in Iraq. Writing in the Telegraph, the Saudi ambassador to the UK, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saudi, said:
We oppose all foreign intervention and interference. There must be no meddling in Iraqs internal affairs, not by us or by the US, the UK or by any other government. This is Iraqs problem and they must sort it out themselves. Any government that meddles in Iraqs affairs runs the risk of escalating the situation, creating greater mistrust between the people of Iraq both Sunni and Shia.
Instead, we urge all the people of Iraq, whatever their religious denominations, to unite to overcome the current threats and challenges facing the country.
1.18pm BST
In that NBC interview Kerry also insisted the US was not seeking to prop up the Maliki government.
Nothing that the president decides to do is going to be focused specifically on Prime Minister Maliki. It is focused on the people of Iraq.
1.03pm BST
Here's where things currently stand:
12.43pm BST
US Secretary of State John Kerry has confirmed the United States is contemplating communicating with Iran to share information about the insurgency spreading across Iraq, but is not seeking to work together with Iran to address the crisis.
"We are interested in communicating with Iran. That the Iranians know what we're thinking, that we know what they're thinking and there is a sharing of information so people aren't making mistakes," Kerry said in an interview on NBC News.
John Kerry promises to honor sacrifice of Iraq vets, families http://t.co/jJyTl7baWB via @TODAYshow pic.twitter.com/FzqTpoxUKl
12.09pm BST
Iraq would be better off without Maliki, but now is not the best time to call for his resignation, according to Middle East analyst Juan Cole.
In his latest blog post Cole also cautioned that there is no obvious successor for Maliki.
Washington also has to be careful about trying and failing to get rid of al-Maliki. President Obama and Hillary Clinton wanted to get rid of Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan in 2009; they failed, and therefore had bad relations with Karzai ever after ...
There are likely to be months of wrangling before a new PM can be chosen. And maybe it will have to be a minority PM because the parliament is permanently hung. In the meantime, if al-Maliki is deposed, who will command the armed forces?
11.36am BST
Martin Chulov and Spencer Ackerman have more on US calls for Maliki to go as a condition for US military intervention, and Iraq's defiant response.
Dianne Feinstein, the chair of the Senate intelligence committee, told a hearing on Wednesday that Maliki's government "has got to go if you want any reconciliation", and Republican John McCain called for the use of US air power but also urged Obama to " make very clear to Maliki that his time is up".
The White House has not called for Maliki to go but spokesman Jay Carney said that whether Iraq was led by Maliki or a successor, "We will aggressively attempt to impress upon that leader the absolute necessity of rejecting sectarian governance."
11.27am BST
Saudi Arabia and Iraq continue to trade verbal blows over who is to blame for rise of Isis and the crisis in Iraq.
Saudi Arabia has dismissed as "ludicrous" Maliki's claim that Saudia Arabia backed Sunni militants.
11.07am BST
Government forces say they have taken control of Baiji oil refinery, but insurgents were still inside the complex and sporadic clashes persisted, AFP reports.
Sunni Arab militants had stormed the complex in Baiji, south of Iraq's militant-held second city Mosul, on Wednesday, setting fire to several storage tanks for refined products in a move that sent jitters through world oil markets.
"Clashes stopped at about midnight (2100 GMT), but keep breaking out again from time to time," Dhahi al-Juburi, an employee trapped inside the sprawling complex told AFP by telephone.
10.49am BST
Turkey's prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan, has cautioned against air strikes in Iraq, saying they would cause a high number of civilian casualties.
"There are Isis elements which are mixed in with the people. Such an operation could result in a serious number of deaths among civilians," Reuters quoted Erdogan telling reporters in Ankara.
10.15am BST
Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, says his government accepts the need for a "radical" political solution to the country's crisis.
Speaking at conference of foreign ministers in Jeddah, al-Jazeera quoted him saying:
The military solution is not enough. We agree and confess that there should be a political and radical solution. We admitted that Iraq is in danger and needs the support of Arab countries and the entire world to stop this offensive, because the risk of division and fragmentation of this country do exist. And if this happens it could be more dangerous than what is happening in Syria.
10.01am BST
The retired US general David Patraeus, who the led the US troop surge in Iraq, has cautioned against further military intervention, including air strikes, in Iraq.
Speaking at a conference in London, Petraeus, who commanded US troops in Mosul warned that Washington risked becoming an "air force for Shiite militias", if it agreed to Iraq's request for air strikes.
9.37am BST
There are more conflicting reports about who is in control of the refinery, according to AP.
BREAKING: Witness says black militant flags fly over Iraqi oil refinery; Baghdad says it is still held.
A witness says militants have hung their black banners at Iraq's largest oil refinery, though a top security official says the government still holds it.
The Iraqi who drove past the refinery on Thursday said the militants also manned checkpoints around the Beiji facility some 155 miles north of Baghdad, and that a huge fire in one of its tankers was raging. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared reprisals.
9.32am BST
A battle for the control of Iraq's biggest oil refinery at Baiji is continuing, according to Reuters.
The sprawling Baiji refinery, 130 miles north of the capital near Tikrit, was a battlefield as troops loyal to the Shia-led government held off insurgents from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and its allies who had stormed the perimeter a day earlier, threatening national energy supplies.
Workers trapped inside the complex, which spreads for miles close to the Tigris river, said Sunni militants seemed to hold most of the compound and that the security forces were concentrated around the refinery's control room. Iraqi security officials have denied that the plant was close to falling.
Closer sat imagery of Iraqi Oil Refinery near Baiji. #satellite #imagery #Iraq #oil #markets pic.twitter.com/fp64BoQkgU
9.19am BST
There have been calls from both sides of the political divide in the US for Maliki to go, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The former Republican presidential candidate John McCain said the US should send emissaries to Baghdad to "work with Maliki and tell him he's got to step down and have a coalition government."
We also have communications with Maliki and say look 'we're going to do everything we can to stabilise this situaiton ... but you're going to also have a transition and we expect it.
Is that a quid pro quo? I don't think so because I think the first priority is the miltary situation has to be stabilised. But the political situation cannot be stabilised with Maliki remaining, because he alienated so much of the Sunni population.
8.34am BST
Nouri al-Maliki's office has rejected external calls for him to resign as prime minister.
His spokesman Zuhair al-Nahar pointed out that Maliki recieved the largest share of the vote in this year's elections and that it was for the Iraqi people and politicians to chose their prime minister.
8.14am BST
Israel says it is more alarmed by Iran gaining influence in Iraq than it is by the advance of Sunni extremists.
Speaking on BBC's Radio 4 Today programme, Israel international relations minister Yuval Steinitz, said his government was disturbed by both developments and the general level of turmoil in the region.
7.48am BST
The US has not confirmed that it is demanding Maliki's resignation, but it is giving every indication it favours some form of government of national unity in Iraq.
Overnight vice president Joe Biden spoke to three key Iraqi leaders to urge unity against Isis insurgents, emphasising the need to form an inclusive government, Reuters reports.
Biden spoke separately with Iraqi Prime Minister Noiri al-Maliki as well as Maliki's Sunni rival, parliamentary speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, and Masoud Barzani, the president of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
"In each call, the vice president also stressed the need for national unity in responding to the ISIL threat against all Iraqi communities, for coordination on security issues going forward, and for moving forward with urgency in forming a new government under the constitution," the White House said in a statement about the phone calls.
7.37am BST
There is mounting concern that western nationals have joined Sunni extremists in Iraq, with reports that hundreds of young men have joined from Britain and Australia alone.
PA reports that up to 450 Britons have signed up to jihad with Isis, citing a Kurdish intelligence chief.
Lahoor Talabani, director of counter terrorism for the Kurdistan Regional Government, told Sky News that the offensive in the north of the country by Isis should not be viewed as an attack only on the Iraqi government.
His comments echo those of Prime Minister David Cameron, who yesterday warned that Isis was plotting terror attacks on the UK and that militants returning from fighting in Iraq and neighbouring Syria now represent a greater threat than those from Afghanistan.
7.24am BST
Welcome to our continuing coverage of the crisis in Iraq
Here's a summary of the latest developments:
The effective erasure of the old border means that Isis can make tactical adjustments and new deployments in line with changing battlefield circumstances. It has acquired new strategic depth and more secure supply lines.
Its enemies are already responding on both sides of the frontier. According to reports from Lebanon, Iraqi Shia fighters who have been fighting in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad are heading home again to bolster Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, in his war against Isis and a wider Sunni insurgency.
Continue reading...