(New York Times) Helene Cooper and Mark Landler - The U.S. has begun to mobilize a broad coalition of allies behind potential American military action in Syria and is moving toward expanded airstrikes in northern Iraq, administration officials said on Tuesday. President Obama, the officials said, was broadening his campaign against the Islamic State and nearing a decision to authorize airstrikes and airdrops of food and water around the northern Iraqi town of Amerli, home to members of Iraq's Turkmen minority, which has been under siege for more than two months. Obama said in a speech on Tuesday that the U.S. was building a coalition to "take the fight to these barbaric terrorists." The White House began a diplomatic campaign to enlist allies and neighbors in the region such as Australia, Britain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE, officials said. They said they expected that Britain and Australia would be willing to join the U.S. in an air campaign.
2014-08-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive