Iraq: Will USA ask Shiite PM to step down to woo Sunnis?

Washington, June 19: The Obama Administration is weighing whether to press the Shiite prime minister in Baghdad to step down as a last-ditch effort to prevent disgruntled Sunnis from igniting a civil war.

More so than airstrikes or other American military action, senior US officials believe that giving more credence to Sunni concerns about Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki can stave off another deadly round of sectarian fighting of the kind that engulfed Iraq less than a decade ago.

President Barack Obama is expected to discuss US options for responding to the crumbling security situation in Iraq with his national security team on Thursday.

It is unclear whether Obama or other administration officials would publicly call for al-Maliki to resign.

President Obama is expected to discuss US options for responding to Iraq crisis

Meanwhile, the US Defence department was reportedly planning to send Special Forces in Iraq. Intelligence gathering will be one of the major missions of the forces, said the report.

The security situation in Iraq started deteriorating since June 10 when bloody clashes broke out between the Iraqi security forces and Sunni militants who took possession of Mosul.

PTI