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  • The President: Good morning.

  • Over the past two days, American pilots

  • and crews have served with courage and skill

  • in the skies over Iraq.

  • First, American forces have conducted targeted

  • airstrikes against terrorist forces outside

  • the city of Erbil to prevent them from

  • advancing on the city and to protect our American

  • diplomats and military personnel.

  • So far, these strikes have successfully destroyed

  • arms and equipment that ISIL terrorists

  • could have used against Erbil.

  • Meanwhile, Kurdish forces on the ground continue

  • to defend the city, and the United States

  • and the Iraqi government have stepped up our military

  • assistance to Kurdish forces

  • as they wage their fight.

  • Second, our humanitarian effort continues

  • to help the men, women and children stranded

  • on Mount Sinjar.

  • American forces have so far conducted two

  • successful airdrops -- delivering thousands

  • of meals and gallons of water to these desperate men,

  • women and children.

  • And American aircraft are positioned to strike ISIL

  • terrorists around the mountain to help forces

  • in Iraq break the siege and rescue those

  • who are trapped there.

  • Now, even as we deal with these immediate

  • situations, we continue to pursue a broader

  • strategy in Iraq.

  • We will protect our American citizens in Iraq,

  • whether they're diplomats, civilians or military.

  • If these terrorists threaten our facilities

  • or our personnel, we will take action

  • to protect our people.

  • We will continue to provide military

  • assistance and advice to the Iraqi government

  • and Kurdish forces as they battle these terrorists,

  • so that the terrorists cannot establish

  • a permanent safe haven.

  • We will continue to work with the international

  • community to deal with the growing

  • humanitarian crisis in Iraq.

  • Even as our attention is focused on preventing

  • an act of genocide and helping the men

  • and women and children on the mountain,

  • countless Iraqis have been driven or fled from their homes,

  • including many Christians.

  • This morning, I spoke with Prime Minister Cameron

  • of the United Kingdom and President Hollande

  • of France.

  • I'm pleased that both leaders expressed their

  • strong support for our actions and have agreed

  • to join us in providing humanitarian assistance

  • to Iraqi civilians who are suffering so much.

  • Once again, America is proud to act alongside

  • our closest friends and allies.

  • More broadly, the United Nations in Iraq is working

  • urgently to help respond to the needs

  • of those Iraqis fleeing from areas under threat.

  • The U.N. Security

  • Council has called

  • on the international community to do everything

  • it can to provide food, water and shelter.

  • And in my calls with allies and partners around

  • the world, I'll continue to urge them to join

  • us in this humanitarian effort.

  • Finally, we continue to call on Iraqis to come

  • together and form the inclusive government

  • that Iraq needs right now.

  • Vice President Biden has been speaking

  • to Iraqi leaders, and our team in Baghdad

  • is in close touch with the Iraqi government.

  • All Iraqi communities are ultimately threatened

  • by these barbaric terrorists and all Iraqi

  • communities need to unite to defend their country.

  • Just as we are focused on the situation

  • in the north affecting Kurds and Iraqi minorities,

  • Sunnis and Shia in different parts of Iraq

  • have suffered mightily at the hands of ISIL.

  • Once an inclusive government is in place,

  • I'm confident it will be easier to mobilize

  • all Iraqis against ISIL, and to mobilize

  • greater support from our friends and allies.

  • Ultimately, only Iraqis can ensure

  • the security and stability of Iraq.

  • The United States can't do it for them,

  • but we can and will be partners in that effort.

  • One final thing -- as we go forward,

  • we'll continue to consult with Congress and coordinate closely

  • with our allies and partners.

  • And as Americans, we will continue to show

  • gratitude to our men and women in uniform

  • who are conducting our operations there.

  • When called, they were ready --

  • as they always are.

  • When given their mission, they've performed

  • with distinction -- as they always do.

  • And when we see them serving

  • with such honor and compassion, defending our fellow citizens

  • and saving the lives of people they've never

  • met, it makes us proud to be Americans --

  • as we always will be.

  • So with that, let me take a couple questions.

  • The Press: Mr. President, for how long

  • a period of time do you see these airstrikes continuing for?

  • And is your goal there to contain ISIS

  • or to destroy it?

  • The President: I'm not going to give a particular

  • timetable, because as I've said

  • from the start, wherever and whenever U.S.

  • personnel and facilities are threatened,

  • it's my obligation, my responsibility

  • as Commander-in-Chief, to make sure

  • that they are protected.

  • And we're not moving our embassy anytime soon.

  • We're not moving our consulate anytime soon.

  • And that means that, given the challenging security

  • environment, we're going to maintain

  • vigilance and ensure that our people are safe.

  • Our initial goal is to not only make sure

  • Americans are protected, but also to deal

  • with this humanitarian situation in Sinjar.

  • We feel confident that we can prevent ISIL

  • from going up a mountain and slaughtering

  • the people who are there.

  • But the next step, which is going

  • to be complicated logistically, is how do we give safe passage

  • for people down from the mountain, and where

  • can we ultimately relocate them so that they are safe.

  • That's the kind of coordination that

  • we need to do internationally.

  • I was very pleased to get the cooperation

  • of both Prime Minister Cameron and President Hollande

  • in addressing some of the immediate needs

  • in terms of airdrops and some of the assets

  • and logistical support that they're providing.

  • But there's a broader set of questions

  • that our experts now are engaged in with the United Nations

  • and our allies and partners,

  • and that is how do we potentially create a safe

  • corridor or some other mechanism so that these people can move.

  • That may take some time -- because there are varying

  • estimates of how many people are up there,

  • but they're in the thousands, and moving them

  • is not simple in this kind of security environment.

  • Just to give people a sense, though,

  • of a timetable -- that the most important timetable

  • that I'm focused on right now is the Iraqi

  • government getting formed and finalized.

  • Because in the absence of an Iraqi government,

  • it is very hard to get a unified effort

  • by Iraqis against ISIL.

  • We can conduct airstrikes, but ultimately there's

  • not going to be an American military solution

  • to this problem.

  • There's going to have to be an Iraqi solution that

  • America and other countries and allies support.

  • And that can't happen effectively until you have

  • a legitimate Iraqi government.

  • So right now we have a President, we have

  • a speaker.

  • What we don't yet have is a prime minister

  • and a cabinet that is formed that can go ahead

  • and move forward, and then start reaching

  • out to all the various groups and factions inside of Iraq,

  • and can give confidence to populations

  • in the Sunni areas that ISIL is not the only game in town.

  • It also then allows us to take those Iraqi

  • security forces that are able and functional,

  • and they understand who they're reporting

  • to and what they're fighting for, and what the chain

  • of command is.

  • And it provides a structure in which better

  • cooperation is taking place between the Kurdish

  • region and Baghdad.

  • So we're going to be pushing very hard

  • to encourage Iraqis to get their government together.

  • Until we do that, it is going to be hard

  • to get the unity of effort that allows

  • us to not just play defense, but also engage in some offense.

  • The Press: Mr. President, the United States

  • has fought long wars in Afghanistan

  • and Iraq with uncertain outcomes.

  • How do you assure the American people that we're

  • not getting dragged into another war in Iraq?

  • Have you underestimated the power of ISIS?

  • And finally, you said that you involved

  • international partners in humanitarian efforts.

  • Is there any thought to talking to international

  • partners as far as military actions

  • to prevent the spread of ISIS?

  • The President: Well, a couple of things

  • I would say.

  • Number one, I've been very clear that we're

  • not going to have U.S. combat

  • troops in Iraq again.

  • And we are going to maintain that,

  • because we should have learned a lesson from

  • our long and immensely costly incursion in Iraq.

  • And that is that our military is so effective

  • that we can keep a lid on problems wherever

  • we are, if we put enough personnel and resources into it.

  • But it can only last if the people

  • in these countries themselves are able to arrive

  • at the kinds of political accommodations

  • and compromise that any civilized society requires.

  • And so it would be, I think, a big mistake

  • for us to think that we can, on the cheap,

  • simply go in, tamp everything down again, restart

  • without some fundamental shift in attitudes

  • among the various Iraqi factions.

  • That's why it is so important

  • to have an Iraqi government on the ground

  • that is taking responsibility that we can help,

  • that we can partner with, that has the capacity

  • to get alliances in the region.

  • And once that's in place, then I think

  • we end up being one of many countries that

  • can work together to deal with the broader crisis

  • that ISIL poses.

  • What were your other questions?

  • Did we underestimate ISIL?

  • I think that there is no doubt that their advance,

  • their movement over the last several months

  • has been more rapid than the intelligence estimates

  • and I think the expectations of policymakers

  • both in and outside of Iraq.

  • And part of that is I think

  • not a full appreciation of the degree to which

  • the Iraqi security forces, when they're far away

  • from Baghdad, did not have the incentive

  • or the capacity to hold ground against an aggressive adversary.

  • And so that's one more reason why Iraqi

  • government formation is so important --

  • because there has to be a rebuilding and an understanding

  • of who it is that the Iraqi security forces are reporting

  • to, what they are fighting for.

  • And there has to be some investment

  • by Sunnis in pushing back against ISIL.

  • I think we're already seeing --

  • and we will see even further -- the degree to which those

  • territories under ISIL control alienated populations,

  • because of the barbarity and brutality

  • with which they operate.

  • But in order to ensure that Sunni populations

  • reject outright these kinds of incursions,

  • they've got to feel like they're invested

  • in a broader national government.

  • And right now, they don't feel that.

  • So the upshot is that what we've seen over

  • the last several months indicates the weaknesses

  • in an Iraqi government.

  • But what we've also seen I think is a wake-up

  • call for a lot of Iraqis inside of Baghdad

  • recognizing that we're going to have to rethink

  • how we do business if we're

  • going to hold our country together.

  • And, hopefully, that change in attitude

  • supplemented by improved security efforts in which

  • we can assist and help,

  • that can make a difference.

  • The Press: You just expressed confidence

  • that the Iraqi government can eventually prevent a safe haven.

  • But you've also just described the

  • complications with the Iraqi government

  • and the sophistication of ISIL.

  • So is it possible that what you've described

  • and your ambitions there could take years, not months?

  • The President: I don't think we're going to solve

  • this problem in weeks, if that's what you mean.

  • I think this is going to take some time.

  • The Iraqi security forces, in order to mount

  • an offensive and be able to operate effectively

  • with the support of populations in Sunni areas,

  • are going to have to revamp, get resupplied --

  • have a clearer strategy.

  • That's all going to be dependent on a government

  • that the Iraqi people and the Iraqi military

  • have confidence in.

  • We can help in all those efforts.

  • I think part of what we're able to do right

  • now is to preserve a space for them to do the hard

  • work that's necessary.

  • If they do that, the one thing that I also think

  • has changed is that many of the Sunni countries

  • in the region who have been generally suspicious

  • or wary of the Iraqi government are more likely

  • to join in, in the fight against ISIS, and that

  • can be extremely helpful.

  • But this is going to be a long-term project.

  • Part of what we've seen is that a minority Sunni

  • population in Iraq, as well as a majority

  • Sunni population in Syria, has felt dissatisfied

  • and detached and alienated

  • from their respective governments.

  • And that has been a ripe territory for these

  • jihadists and extremists to operate.

  • And rebuilding governance in those areas, and

  • legitimacy for stable, moderate governing

  • in those areas is going to take time.

  • Now, there are some immediate concerns

  • that we have to worry about.

  • We have to make sure that ISIL is not engaging

  • in the actions that could cripple a country permanently.

  • There's key infrastructure inside of Iraq

  • that we have to be concerned about.

  • My team has been vigilant, even before ISIL

  • went into Mosul, about foreign fighters

  • and jihadists gathering in Syria, and now in Iraq,

  • who might potentially launch attacks outside

  • the region against Western targets and U.S. targets.

  • So there's going to be a counterterrorism

  • element that we are already preparing for and have been

  • working diligently on for a long time now.

  • There is going to be a military element

  • in protecting our people, but the long-term campaign

  • of changing that environment so that

  • the millions of Sunnis who live in these areas feel

  • connected to and well-served by a national government,

  • that's a long-term process.

  • And that's something that the United States

  • cannot do, only the Iraqi people themselves can do.

  • We can help, we can advise,

  • but we can't do it for them.

  • And the U.S. military

  • cannot do it for them.

  • And so this goes back to the earlier

  • question about U.S.

  • military involvement.

  • The nature of this problem is not one that a U.S.

  • military can solve.

  • We can assist and our military obviously can

  • play an extraordinarily important role in

  • bolstering efforts of an Iraqi partner as they make

  • the right steps to keep their country together,

  • but we can't do it for them.

  • Last question.

  • The Press: America has spent

  • $800 billion in Iraq.

  • Do you anticipate having to ask Congress for

  • additional funds to support this mission?

  • The President: Currently, we are operating within

  • the budget constraints that we already have.

  • And we'll have to evaluate what happens over time.

  • We already have a lot of assets in the region.

  • We anticipate, when we make

  • our preliminary budgets, that there may be things that come

  • up requiring us to engage.

  • And right now, at least, I think we are okay.

  • If and when we need additional dollars

  • to make sure that American personnel

  • and American facilities are protected, then

  • we will certainly make that request.

  • But right now, that's not our primary concern.

  • Last question.

  • The Press: Mr. President, do you have any second

  • thoughts about pulling all ground troops out of Iraq?

  • And does it give you pause as the U.S.

  • -- is it doing the same thing in Afghanistan?

  • The President: What I just find interesting

  • is the degree to which this issue keeps on coming

  • up, as if this was my decision.

  • Under the previous administration,

  • we had turned over the country to a sovereign,

  • democratically elected Iraqi government.

  • In order for us to maintain troops in Iraq,

  • we needed the invitation of the Iraqi government

  • and we needed assurances that our personnel

  • would be immune from prosecution if, for example,

  • they were protecting themselves and ended up getting

  • in a firefight with Iraqis, that they wouldn't

  • be hauled before an Iraqi judicial system.

  • And the Iraqi government, based on its political

  • considerations, in part because

  • Iraqis were tired of a U.S. occupation,

  • declined to provide

  • us those assurances.

  • And on that basis, we left.

  • We had offered to leave additional troops.

  • So when you hear people say, do you regret,

  • Mr. President, not leaving more troops,

  • that presupposes that I would have overridden

  • this sovereign government that we had turned

  • the keys back over to and said, you know what,

  • you're democratic, you're sovereign, except

  • if I decide that it's good for you to keep

  • 10,000 or 15,000 or 25,000 Marines in your country,

  • you don't have a choice -- which would have kind

  • of run contrary to the entire argument we were

  • making about turning over the country back to Iraqis,

  • an argument not just made by me, but made

  • by the previous administration.

  • So let's just be clear: The reason that

  • we did not have a follow-on force in Iraq was because

  • the Iraqis were -- a majority of Iraqis

  • did not want U.S.

  • troops there, and politically they could

  • not pass the kind of laws that would

  • be required to protect our troops in Iraq.

  • Having said all that, if in fact the Iraqi

  • government behaved the way it did over the last five,

  • six years, where it failed to pass legislation

  • that would reincorporate Sunnis and give them

  • a sense of ownership; if it had targeted certain Sunni

  • leaders and jailed them; if it had alienated

  • some of the Sunni tribes that we had brought back

  • in during the so-called Awakening that helped

  • us turn the tide in 2006 -- if they had done

  • all those things and we had had troops there,

  • the country wouldn't be holding together either.

  • The only difference would be we'd have a bunch

  • of troops on the ground that would be vulnerable.

  • And however many troops we had, we would have

  • to now be reinforcing, I'd have to be protecting them,

  • and we'd have a much bigger job.

  • And probably, we would end up having to go up again

  • in terms of the number of grounds troops

  • to make sure that those forces were not vulnerable.

  • So that entire analysis is bogus and is wrong.

  • But it gets frequently peddled around here

  • by folks who oftentimes are trying

  • to defend previous policies that they themselves made.

  • Going forward with respect to Afghanistan,

  • we are leaving the follow-on force there.

  • I think the lesson for Afghanistan

  • is not the fact that we've got a follow-on force that

  • will be capable of training and supporting Afghan security

  • efforts.

  • I think the real lesson in Afghanistan is that if

  • factions in a country after a long period of

  • civil war do not find a way to come up with a

  • political accommodation; if they take maximalist

  • positions and their attitude

  • is, I want 100 percent of what I want and the other side

  • gets nothing, then the center doesn't hold.

  • And the good news is, is that in part thanks

  • to the excellent work of John Kerry and others,

  • we now are seeing the two candidates

  • in the recent Presidential election start coming together

  • and agreeing not only to move forward on the audit

  • to be able to finally certify a winner in the election,

  • but also the kinds of political accommodations

  • that are going to be required

  • to keep democracy moving.

  • So that's a real lesson I think for Afghanistan

  • coming out of Iraq is, if you want this thing

  • to work, then whether it's different ethnicities,

  • different religions, different regions,

  • they've got to accommodate each other, otherwise

  • you start tipping back into old patterns of violence.

  • And it doesn't matter how many

  • U.S. troops are there -- if that happens,

  • you end up having a mess.

  • Thanks a lot, guys.

The President: Good morning.

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オバマ大統領がイラク情勢を報告 (President Obama Gives an Update on the Situation in Iraq)

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    稲葉白兎 に公開 2021 年 01 月 14 日
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