--- title: Obama on Iraq: 'I Don't Rule Out Anything' description: President Barack Obama said he would not rule out military intervention to support the Iraqi government against advancing Sunni militants. canonical: https://time.com/2865250/obama-iraq-airstrikes/ author: Noah Rayman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-12T17:18:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:03:22.430Z article:section: Politics og:title: Obama on Iraq: 'I Don't Rule Out Anything' og:description: President Barack Obama said he would not rule out military intervention to support the Iraqi government against advancing Sunni militants. og:url: https://time.com/2865250/obama-iraq-airstrikes/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Obama on Iraq: 'I Don't Rule Out Anything' twitter:description: President Barack Obama said he would not rule out military intervention to support the Iraqi government against advancing Sunni militants. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production video:duration: 02:03 video:published: 2014-06-12 section: world topics: Tikrit, Mosul, militant advance, humanitarian crisis, displacement, Iraqi army, sectarian divisions, national unity government genre: news report tones: urgent, grave, tense emotions: fear (high), desperation (medium), concern (high) sentiment: negative audience: general news readers, policy observers, international affairs audiences people: Nouri al-Maliki organizations: ISIS, Al Qaeda, Iraqi government, Iraqi Parliament, Iraqi security forces, US content_suitability: violence [00:02-02:03]; war [00:02-02:03]; disasters [00:26-01:11]; tragedy [01:07-01:11] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable --- # Obama on Iraq: 'I Don't Rule Out Anything' as Militants Aim for Baghdad > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=bd2b5f89-58e9-4236-ad4f-6ac2ede0e295&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Iraq: Tikrit Falls to Islamist Militant Group [Watch (HLS stream): Iraq: Tikrit Falls to Islamist Militant Group](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Ja43HCOR.m3u8) (2:03)  _Published 2014-06-12. Iraq: Tikrit Falls to Islamist Militant Group_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video reports on an Islamist militant group, referred to as ISIS, seizing Tikrit in Iraq after earlier taking Mosul and Beiji. It describes the resulting displacement of many Iraqis, the breakdown of some Iraqi army units, and the reactions of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Iraq's parliament speaker. It also covers the foreign minister's call for national unity and the US position that the response rests with Iraqi forces and government. ## Key points - A militant group described as more radical than Al Qaeda entered Tikrit, less than two hours' drive from Baghdad. (00:02) - The group had reportedly stormed the oil town Beiji hours earlier and had seized Mosul, Iraq's second largest city. (00:14) - Power, water and phone lines have been cut in parts of Mosul, about 250 miles north of Baghdad. (00:26) - Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called the situation a humanitarian crisis and asked Parliament to declare a state of emergency and call for volunteers to fight. (00:43) - The speaker of Iraq's Parliament urged the US to play a role in supporting Iraq and asked the international community for urgent relief for the displaced. (00:55) - Half a million Iraqis have already fled the city, according to the video. (01:07) - Some US-trained Iraqi soldiers reportedly discarded their uniforms and abandoned military vehicles and weapons. (01:31) - Iraq's foreign minister urged politicians to unite, bridge sectarian divisions and form a government based on national unity. (01:39) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:26] Militant advances toward Baghdad. The militant group takes Tikrit and is shown advancing from the north after seizing other towns. - [00:26 to 01:07] Mosul crisis and government appeals. Services are cut in Mosul, and the prime minister and parliament speaker call for emergency measures and US and international help. - [01:07 to 02:03] Displacement, army collapse and political unity. Refugees describe the flight from the city, Iraqi soldiers abandon posts, and the foreign minister calls for national unity. ## Key quotes - [01:07] refugee: "God help us" - [01:11] interviewer: "ultimately this is this is for the Iraqi security forces." - [01:39] Iraq's foreign minister: "Iraq's it's politicians to unite" ## Questions this video answers - Which militant group has taken Tikrit and how close is it to Baghdad? [00:02] - Which other Iraqi towns and cities has the group seized? [00:14] - What emergency measures has Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki requested? [00:43] - How many Iraqis have fled the city, and how has the Iraqi army responded? [01:07] - What role does the video say the US plays in the response? [00:55] - What political solution does Iraq's foreign minister propose? [01:39] ## Content suitability - violence [00:02-02:03]: Coverage of armed militant takeover of cities and fighting against Iraqi forces. - war [00:02-02:03]: Armed conflict and military collapse in Iraq. - disasters [00:26-01:11]: Humanitarian crisis with cut utilities and mass displacement of about half a million people. - tragedy [01:07-01:11]: Refugee pleading for help as residents flee the city. by [Noah Rayman](https://time.com/author/noah-rayman/) and [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) Jun 12, 2014 5:18 PM UTC by [Noah Rayman](https://time.com/author/noah-rayman/) and [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) Jun 12, 2014 5:18 PM UTC President Barack Obama said he would not rule out military intervention to support Iraq’s government against advancing Sunni militants, two and a half years after the U.S. withdrew its last troops from the country. “I don’t rule out anything,” Obama told reporters at the White House after meeting with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott after being asked a question about the possibility the U.S. would conduct airstrikes in Iraq to support the government there. “We do have a stake in making sure these jihadists are not getting a permanent foothold in either Iraq or Syria,” Obama added. Obama said that is was “fair to say that in our consultations with the Iraqis there will be some short-term immediate things that need to be done militarily and our national security team is looking into all the options.” However, a senior administration official said Obama is not considering putting U.S. boots on the ground once again in Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has [expressed a willingness](http://time.com/2862759/iraq-insurgent-isis-baghdad-air-strikes/) to allow the U.S. to conduct airstrikes on the extremists, who have over the past week seized Iraq’s second largest city, the country’s largest oil refinery and the city of Tikrit, the home of former leader Saddam Hussein. Fighting between Iraqi forces and advancing fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other Islamic fundamentalist groups, who spilled over from neighboring war-torn Syria, has already displaced more than 500,000 Iraqis. “This should also be a wakeup call for the Iraqi government,” Obama said. “There has to be a political component to this so that Sunni and Shia who care about building a functioning state that can bring about security and prosperity to all people inside of Iraq come together and work diligently against the extremists.” The U.S. has provided Baghdad with $15 billion worth of equipment and training after spending $1.7 trillion and nearly 4,500 lives in almost nine years of war. “Over the last year we have been providing them with additional assistance to try to address the problems that they have in Anbar, the northwest portions of the country, as well as the Iraqi and Syrian border,” Obama said. “What we’ve seen over the last couple of days indicates the degree to which Iraq’s going to need more help. It’s going to need more help from us, and it’s going to need more help from the international community.” ## Transcript [00:02] Closing in on Baghdad, a terror group more radical than Al [00:06] Qaeda enters Tikrit. Less [00:10] than two hours drive south, is Baghdad. They're on a roll [00:14] from the North, hours earlier storming the important oil [00:18] town Beijing. And before that Mosul, Iraq's second [00:22] largest city. The power, water and phone [00:26] lines have been cut in parts of Mosul, 250 miles [00:30] north of Baghdad where the Al Qaeda splinter group Isis, [00:34] has seized the important transportation and administration [00:40] hub. [ FOREIGN ]. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al- Maliki [00:43] calling it a humanitarian crisis and asking Parliament [00:48] to declare a state of emergency, calling on men to [00:51] volunteer to fight. The speaker of Iraq's Parliament, urging [00:55] the US to play a role in supporting Iraq against the terrorist [00:59] attack and asking for urgent relief for the displaced by the [01:03] international community. [ FOREIGN ]. The voice of a [01:07] refugee in this video, pleading God help us, as [01:11] half a million Iraqis have already fled the city. We're [01:14] certainly in touch with Iraqi leadership as much as possible, [01:18] but ultimately this is this is for the Iraqi security forces. [01:22] And the Iraqi government to deal with. The [01:26] fight proving too much for the U. S. trained Iraqi soldiers. [01:31] Some reportedly discarding their uniforms, abandoning [01:35] their military armed vehicles and weapons. Iraq's foreign [01:39] minister is urging Iraq's it's politicians to unite. Bridge [01:42] sectarian divisions that underpin Isis' battlefield [01:47] gains. 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