IRAQ: Pentagon DEPLOYS AIRCRAFT CARRIER George H.W. Bush to Persian Gulf in case of Iraq op

http://www.prisonplanet.com/pentagon-deploys-aircraft-carrier-to-persian-gulf-in-case-of-iraq-op.html


Pentagon deploys aircraft carrier to Persian Gulf in case of Iraq op

• 
  

RT
June 15, 2014

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered that the USS aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush be moved to the Persian Gulf in case Washington decides to use military force in Iraq following the rise of attacks by an Al-Qaeda offshoot movement.

“The order will provide the Commander-in-Chief additional flexibility should military options be required to protect American lives, citizens and interests in Iraq,”the Pentagon said in a statement on Saturday.

The carrier USS George H.W. Bush will be accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea and the guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun, the Petagon added. The Bush is a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, the largest warships in the world, according to the US Navy. The ships are powered by two nuclear reactors and can carry a crew of about 6,000 people.

Iraq has seen a [url=http://al-qaeda offshoot in iraq offensive live updates/]surge[/url] of violence in recent weeks as radical Sunni militants of an Al-Qaeda offshoot, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS/ISIL), have been advancing and capturing cities in the north of Iraq. The militants have already captured the cities of Mosul and Tikrit, and earlier declared that their top objective was the capture of the capital Baghdad.

On Friday, President Barack Obama said the US may begin providing military assistance to the Iraqi government to battle the insurgents within days.

Obama noted that he discussed the crisis in Iraq with his National Security Council earlier in the day, and will soon reveal what action, if any, the US will take.

MOHR @ LEENGK