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ByLaraJakes TheAssociatedPress WASHINGTON Edgingbackinto a military role in Iraq, President Barack Obama on Thursday said he was dispatching up to 300 mil- itary advisers to help quell the ris- ing insurgency in the crumbling nation. He called on Iraqi leaders to govern with a more "inclusive agenda" to ensure the country does not descend into civil war. Though not specifically men- tioning airstrikes, an option the U.S. has been considering, Obama said he was leaving open the pos- sibility of "targeted and precise military action" in the future. He said the U.S. also would increase its intelligence efforts in Iraq and create joint operations centers in Baghdad and northern Iraq. When coupled with previously announced steps, Obama's ac- tions could put about 600 addi- tional U.S. troops back on the ground in Iraq. The 300 military advisers he announced Thurs- day would join up to 275 being positioned in and around Iraq to provide security and support for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and other American interests. Mindful of what he called "the deep scars left by America's war in Iraq," Obama was adamant that U.S. troops would not be re- turning to combat. "We do not have the ability to simply solve this problem by send- ing in tens of thousands of troops and committing the kinds of blood and treasure that has already been expended in Iraq," Obama told re- porters in the White House brief- ing room. "Ultimately, this is something that is going to have to be solved by Iraqis." Half a world away, the chaotic situation in Iraq was underscored by a fight for control of Iraq's larg- est oil refinery. As of late Thurs- day, Iraqi forces and Sunni mili- tants controlled different parts of the sprawling facility and black smoke billowed in the air. Prime Minister Nouri al-Ma- liki's own position was hardly assured, as political leaders de- bated his future behind closed doors and Shiite leaders floated the names of potential replace- ments. The Shiite prime minister has long faced criticism for not making his government more in- clusive. Besides the Sunnis, many of al-Maliki's former Kurdish and Shiite allies have been clamoring to deny him a third term in office. Sketching a dire situation, Obama called this a moment when "the fate of Iraq hangs in the balance." He stopped short of calling for al-Maliki to resign, saying "it's not our job to choose Iraq's leaders." But he said those lead- ers "must rise above their differ- ences and come together" for the sake of their nation. "Only leaders that can govern with an inclusive agenda are go- ing to be able to truly bring the Iraqi people together and help them through this crisis," he said. Offering a hopeful thought, Obama added that as the pros- pect of civil war heightens, many Iraqis leaders are "stepping back and saying, 'let's not plunge back into the abyss.'" Obama spoke after meeting with his national security team to discuss military options and consider how strongly to press al-Maliki to undertake changes and make his government more inclusive. Top U.S. officials be- lieve that giving more credence to Sunni concerns about al-Ma- liki may offer the best opportu- nity to stave off another deadly round of sectarian fighting of the kind that engulfed Iraq less than a decade ago. U.S. officials have been con- cerned that pushing al-Maliki too hard might stiffen his resolve to stay in office and drive him closer to Iran, which is seeking to keep the Shiite leader in power. How- ever the administration does want to see evidence of a leader- ship transition plan being put in place in Iraq. Defense Secretary Chuck Ha- gel, in a statement, said the ad- visers "will assess the situation on the ground, help evaluate gaps in Iraqi security forces and in- crease their capacity to counter the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant." According to U.S. officials, the 300 would largely be Green Be- rets, deployed in teams embedded with Iraqi security forces. WORLD Obama:USsending military advisers to Iraq JACQUELYNMARTIN—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS President Barack Obama speaks about the situation in Iraq on Thursday in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. News feed KABUL, AFGHANISTAN Tal- iban suicide bombers struck NATO fuel trucks at a key bor- der crossing between Afghan- istan and Pakistan Thursday, setting off explosions that de- stroyed dozens of trucks and triggeringagunbattlewithpo- lice guards that left all three attackers dead, officials said. The attack underscored the instability plaguing the country and the continuing danger to the U.S.-led mis- sion in Afghanistan as com- bat forces prepare to with- draw by the end of this year. Western officials had hoped a peaceful transfer of authority to a new president in democratic elections would help ease the transition, but instead allegations of massive fraud in the June 14 runoff vote have plunged the coun- try into a new political crisis. Abdullah Abdullah, who is running against Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, said Thursday that the Inde- pendent Electoral Commis- sion had ignored his call to stop the ballot counting and other demands so he will not resume cooperation with the panel or its affiliated com- plaints commission. — The Associated Press WORLD TalibanstrikeNATO trucks in Afghanistan MADISON,WIS. Federal pros- ecutors believe Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a poten- tial 2016 Republican presi- dential candidate, illegally coordinated fundraising with conservative groups as part of a nationwide "crimi- nal scheme" to violate elec- tion laws, according to court documents unsealed Thurs- day. No charges have been filed against Walker or any member of his staff. The documents were made pub- lic as part of an ongoing lawsuit challenging the probe by the conservative group Wisconsin Club for Growth. A federal appeals court judge ordered them publicly released Thursday after prosecutors and the Wisconsin Club for Growth did not object. No charges have been filed as a result of the inves- tigation. Prosecutors said Walker, his former chief of staff Keith Gilkes, top adviser R.J. Johnson and others were discussing illegal fundrais- ing and coordination with a number of national groups and prominent figures. — The Associated Press WISCONSIN Prosecutors: Walker part of criminal scheme SANFORD, FLA. Part of a lawsuit against NBC Uni- versal that claims that the television network defamed George Zimmerman in a 2012 broadcast was thrown out by a Florida judge Thurs- day, putting the entire litiga- tion in jeopardy. Zimmerman's attorneys waited too long under Flor- ida statute to ask NBC to re- tract what it claimed were li- belous statements in a March 19, 2012, broadcast that they said made their client sound like a racist, Seminole County Circuit Judge Debra Nelson ruled. Zimmerman was not at the hearing. The statute requires five days written notice identi- fying potentially libelous statements. A letter claim- ing the network edited Zim- merman's 911 call to police to make it sound like he was a racist was sent to network executives on Dec. 4, 2012. Three other NBC broad- casts from March 20, 22 and 27, that included the reference are still in ques- tion, but the judge said she had to do more homework on the issues before making a final decision. — The Associated Press COURT Part of Zimmerman defamation suit tossed JERUSALEM Israeli soldiers clashed with Palestinians during an arrest raid early Thursday in the most violent confrontation so far in the weeklong search for three missing Israeli teens believed to have been abducted in the West Bank. The military said about 300 Palestinians took to the streets when the sol- diers entered the West Bank town of Jenin overnight. Some opened fire while oth- ers threw explosive devices or rocks at the soldiers, who responded with live fire, it said. There were no serious in- juries reported on either side. Israel has blamed the Islamic militant group Hamas for the apparent ab- ductions, without providing evidence. Israel has since launched a widespread crackdown on the group, ar- resting scores of members while conducting a fever- ish manhunt for the miss- ing youths. Hamas has praised the abduction of the teenagers, but has not claimed respon- sibility for it. — The Associated Press MIDDLE EAST Palestinians, Israeli troops clash in search LAGOS, NIGERIA Liechten- stein is returning $227 mil- lion looted by Nigeria's late military dictator after the Ni- gerian government made a deal and dropped corruption charges against his eldest son, thegovernmentsaidThursday. But a leading advocacy group warned that any re- turned money likely will be stolen again and called the government move "a cele- bration of corruption." With the charges dropped, supporters of Mohammed Abacha, son of the late dic- tator Gen. Sani Abacha, said that paves the way for him to run for governor of north- ern Kano state on the ticket of the ruling People's Dem- ocratic Party of President Goodluck Jonathan. Neither Abacha nor party officials could immediately be reached for comment and Abacha's supporters in- sisted on anonymity be- cause they were not autho- rized to speak to reporters. Mohammed Abacha is wanted in the United States for his alleged part in laun- dering some $458 million in funds stolen by his father and frozen by the U.S. in February. — The Associated Press AFRICA Nigeriagetsback$227M lootedbydictator By Hamza Hendawi The Associated Press BAGHDAD Iraqi soldiers and helicopter gunships appeared to be holding on after three days of battle against Sunni militants Thursday for con- trol of Iraq's largest oil refin- ery, but Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's own fate seemed increasingly in play with po- litical leaders meeting in re- cent days behind closed doors and discussing his future, ac- cording to a Shiite lawmaker. In Washington, President Barack Obama called on Iraqi leaders to govern with a more "inclusive agenda" to ensure the country does not descend into civil war. Obama said U.S. troops would not return to combat in Iraq but that he was dispatching up to 300 military advisers to Iraq. The loss of the Beiji oil re- finery, some 155 miles north of Baghdad, would be a dev- astating symbol of the Bagh- dad government's powerless- ness in the face of a deter- mined insurgency hostile to the West. By late Thursday, the two sides held different parts of the refinery, which extends over several square kilometers of desert. The tenacious fight for the refinery reflected the govern- ment's desperation to hold on to a shrinking share of the country and stop the mo- mentum of the Sunni extrem- ists, led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant al- lied with Sunni tribes and el- ements of Saddam Hussein's old Baath Party. It also rep- resented al-Maliki's need for a military victory as leaders in both Baghdad and Wash- ington questioned whether he should remain in office. Shiite politicians famil- iar with the secretive efforts to remove al-Maliki said two names mentioned as possi- ble replacements are former vice president Adel Abdul- Mahdi, a French-educated economist who is also a Shi- ite; and Ayad Allawi, a secu- lar Shiite who served as Iraq's first prime minister after Sad- dam's ouster. Al-Mahdi belongs to a moderate Shiite party, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Coun- cil, which has close links with Iran. Also lobbying for the job is Ahmad Chalabi, a Shiite law- maker who recently joined the Supreme Council and was once a favorite by Washing- ton to lead Iraq a decade ago. MIDDLE EAST Iraqi forces holding on in fight for oil refinery NEWS » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, June 20, 2014 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B4