WASHINGTON – Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made the following statement today after President Obama announced that he had authorized air strikes to protect American personnel in Iraq and to provide humanitarian assistance to threatened religious minorities there:
“I support the actions President Obama announced tonight. There are a number of justifications for these actions, but the reasons he cited are surely sufficient. It is helpful that the government of Iraq has requested our assistance, and it would also be helpful under the circumstances, though not necessary, for a number of neighboring countries to publicly support our actions.
“I have urged the administration to provide greater assistance to the Kurds, to assist their defense and to help them resume their protection of Christian villages in their area.”