Iranian role in fighting IS in Iraq: Where will it lead?, Iran's growing influence in Iraq is setting off alarm bells, and nowhere is the problem starker than in the high-stakes battle for Tikrit. It marks a crucial fight in the bigger war to expel the Islamic State group from Iraq, and yet Iran and the Shiite militias it empowers — not the U.S. — are leading the charge.
This is both a political and military dilemma for the Obama administration, which is under heavy criticism for negotiating with Iran over limits on its nuclear program. Iran, meanwhile, is asserting itself in a divided Iraq like never before.
The battle for Tikrit raises the question: Who is really running this war? Iraq? The U.S.? Iran?
Defense Secretary Ash Carter, under questioning from Sen. John McCain this week, acknowledged his concern when McCain asked if it alarms him that Iran "has basically taken over the fight."Read More
The battle for Tikrit raises the question: Who is really running this war? Iraq? The U.S.? Iran?
Defense Secretary Ash Carter, under questioning from Sen. John McCain this week, acknowledged his concern when McCain asked if it alarms him that Iran "has basically taken over the fight."Read More
