US steps into Iraq, but no boots on the ground

Washington, Jun 20: Moving cautiously in the face of an onslaught by Sunni militants advancing on Baghdad, President Barack Obama is sending 300 military advisers to Iraq, but US would not be returning to a combat role there.

Under pressure to come to the aid of the embattled Iraq government, Obama announced Thursday he was sending advisers to Iraq to "assess how we can best train, advise and support Iraqi security forces" in dealing with Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants.

"Going forward, we will be prepared to take targeted and precise military action if and when we determine that the situation on the ground requires it," Obama said in a White House announcement after a meeting with his national security team.

The options considered include the possibility of future air strikes.

American "armed forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq, but we will help Iraqis as they take the fight to terrorists who threaten the Iraqi people, the region and American interests as well," he said.

Suggesting that the situation in Iraq called for a political solution rather than a military one, Obama without putting it in so many words implicitly favoured removal of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

"Now, it's not the place for the United States to choose Iraq's leaders," he said.

"It is clear, though, that only leaders that can govern with an inclusive agenda are going to be able to truly bring the Iraqi people together and help them through this crisis," Obama said.

"Meanwhile, the United States will not pursue military options that support one sect inside of Iraq at the expense of another," he said.

"There's no military solution inside of Iraq, certainly not one that is led by the United States."

"But there is an urgent need for an inclusive political process," he said calling upon all, Iraqi leaders - Shia, Sunni, Kurds - to "rise above their differences and come together around a political plan for Iraq's future."

Obama also announced a series of steps designed to improve intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance of the militant army that has taken several Iraqi cities and is threatening the capital in Baghdad.

Obama is also sending Secretary of State John Kerry to the region for diplomatic efforts that include demands for a more inclusive government in Iraq.

To keep Iraq from breaking into pieces in the face of the advance of ISIS militants, Kerry said the US was "open to discussions if there's something constructive that can be contributed by Iran."

"I think we need to go step by step and see what, in fact, might be a reality." he said in an interview with Yahoo News.

Obama's moves drew mixed reactions with Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi favouring a "proceed cautiously" policy and critics like Republican senator John Cornyn dubbing Obama's response "too little, too late'.

"Obama's robust military moves - coupled with his pointed warning" to al-Maliki "to quell his country's sectarian fires," the New York Times said "opened a risky new chapter in the president's reluctant engagement with Iraq."

The Washington Post suggested the Obama "administration is straddling difficult politics in Iraq and at home."

He was "seeking to answer Republican critics such as House Speaker John A. Boehner who claim that Obama is 'taking a nap' while Iraq crumbles and to assure political supporters that he is not opening a new front in the Middle East."

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Powerful solar storm hits earth; will it disrupt communication, power grids?

News Network

May 11,2024

Washington, May 11: The most powerful solar storm in more than two decades struck Earth on Friday, triggering spectacular celestial light shows from Tasmania to Britain -- and threatening possible disruptions to satellites and power grids as it persists into the weekend.

The first of several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) -- expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun -- came just after 1600 GMT, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Space Weather Prediction Center.

It was later upgraded to an "extreme" geomagnetic storm -- the first since the "Halloween Storms" of October 2003 caused blackouts in Sweden and damaged power infrastructure in South Africa. More CMEs are expected to pummel the planet in the coming days.

Social media lit up with people posting pictures of auroras from northern Europe and Australasia.

"We've just woken the kids to go watch the Northern Lights in the back garden! Clearly visible with the naked eye," Iain Mansfield in Hertford, England, told AFP.

That sense of wonder was shared in Australia's island state of Tasmania.

"Absolutely biblical skies in Tasmania at 4 am this morning. I'm leaving today and knew I could not pass up this opportunity," photographer Sean O' Riordan posted on social media platform X alongside a photo.

Authorities notified satellite operators, airlines, and the power grid to take precautionary steps for potential disruptions caused by changes to Earth's magnetic field.

Elon Musk, whose Starlink satellite internet operator has some 5,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, described the solar storm as the "biggest in a long time."

"Starlink satellites are under a lot of pressure, but holding up so far," Musk posted on his X platform.

Unlike solar flares, which travel at the speed of light and reach Earth in around eight minutes, CMEs travel at a more sedate pace, with officials putting the current average at 800 kilometers (500 miles) per second.

The CMEs emanated from a massive sunspot cluster that is 17 times wider than our planet. The Sun is approaching the peak of an 11-year cycle that brings heightened activity.

'Go outside tonight and look'

Mathew Owens, a professor of space physics at the University of Reading, told AFP that how far the effects would be felt over the planet's northern and southern latitudes would depend on the storm's final strength.

"Go outside tonight and look would be my advice because if you see the aurora, it's quite a spectacular thing," he said. People with eclipse glasses can also look for the sunspot cluster during the day.

In the United States, this could include places such as Northern California and Alabama, officials said.

NOAA's Brent Gordon encouraged the public to try to capture the night sky with phone cameras even if they couldn't see auroras with their naked eyes.

"Just go out your back door and take a picture with the newer cell phones and you'd be amazed at what you see in that picture versus what you see with your eyes."

Spacecraft and pigeons

Fluctuating magnetic fields associated with geomagnetic storms induce currents in long wires, including power lines, which can potentially lead to blackouts. Long pipelines can also become electrified, leading to engineering problems.

Spacecraft are also at risk from high doses of radiation, although the atmosphere prevents this from reaching Earth.

NASA has a dedicated team looking into astronaut safety and can ask astronauts on the International Space Station to move to places within the outpost that are better shielded.

Following one particularly strong flare peak, the US Space Weather Prediction Center said users of high-frequency radio signals "may experience temporary degradation or complete loss of signal on much of the sunlit side of Earth."

Even pigeons and other species that have internal biological compasses could also be affected. Pigeon handlers have noted a reduction in birds coming home during geomagnetic storms, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Officials said people should have the normal backup plans in place for power outages, such as having flashlights, batteries, and radios at hand.

The most powerful geomagnetic storm in recorded history, known as the Carrington Event after British astronomer Richard Carrington, occurred in September 1859.

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