More than a year after President Obama ordered airstrikes to protect civilians trapped on Mt. Sinjar in Iraq, Kurdish forces backed by the U.S. on Thursday launched a broad offensive to retake the city of Sinjar from Islamic State militants. The coordinated attack in Iraq’s northwest appears to be part of a more assertive approach by the Obama administration against Islamic State. The White House has been harshly criticized for not doing enough to stem the growth of the Al Qaeda spinoff group, which controls vast areas of Iraq and neighboring Syria. Some critics have charged that a U.S. approach perceived as slow-moving is in stark contrast to the Russian air campaign in Syria, which...
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