U.S. Intelligence Sees Iraqi Militants Gaining Strength

Source: Bloomberg

By Terry Atlas and David Lerman Jun 24, 2014 8:27 PM ET

Sunni militants are consolidating their hold on a swath of Iraq and now threaten the integrity of the Iraqi state, U.S. military and intelligence officials said.

The main insurgent group, an al-Qaeda offshoot known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, is gaining strength through a Sunni uprising against the Shiite-led government, according to an intelligence official who briefed reporters by phone today on the condition of anonymity to to discuss intelligence matters.

ISIL now controls most of a “central swath” of Iraq, is “solidifying gains” and poses “a legitimate threat to Baghdad,” Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Defense Department spokesman, told reporters in a briefing at the Pentagon.

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Two leading Republican senators, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida, told reporters after a closed-door briefing by administration officials today that Obama has all the authority required to take military action in Iraq.

“The president doesn’t need our approval to make these decisions,” Graham said.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-25/u-s-intelligence-sees-iraqi-militants-gaining-strength.html