User:Technophant/2014 American intervention in Syria

In the summer of 2014, in response to gains made by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State) in Iraq, United States President Barack Obama began to deploy U.S. military forces to Iraq to defend American assets and to advise Iraqi government forces. In August 2014, the U.S. military began an aerial campaign directed against radical Islamists in northern Iraq. In addition to military efforts, the United States has also mounted a considerable humanitarian effort aimed towards assisting ethnic minorities in northern Iraq who are under the threat of genocide by ISIS.

In August, when asked about a possible timetable for U.S. involvement in Iraq, President Barack Obama told reporters that "this is going to be a long-term project". The military effort subsequently expanded to protect Iraqi infrastructure and provide air cover to Iraqi troops. Since the expansion and commencement of American airstrikes against the Islamic State, Kurdish and Iraqi forces have been able to reverse significant extremist advances and retake control of the Mosul Dam, the largest in Iraq. American president Barack Obama announced on 10 September 2014 that he authorized the United States to begin airstrikes in Syria; he also announced that the amount of airstrikes in Iraq will increase.