A White House spokesman says the Iraqi government has offered "acceptable assurances" of legal protections for 300 U.S. military advisers the United States plans to send to Iraq to assist local forces trying to halt surging Sunni militants in the country.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government informed the United States of these assurances via diplomatic note, spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in a June 23 briefing, calling the promised protections "adequate" for the planned "short-term" advisory mission.
The Obama administration says its complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in 2011 was due to the Iraqi government's refusal to grant U.S. military personnel there immunity from prosecution.
The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an Al-Qaeda splinter group, has made significant advances against Iraqi government forces in recent weeks.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government informed the United States of these assurances via diplomatic note, spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in a June 23 briefing, calling the promised protections "adequate" for the planned "short-term" advisory mission.
The Obama administration says its complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in 2011 was due to the Iraqi government's refusal to grant U.S. military personnel there immunity from prosecution.
The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an Al-Qaeda splinter group, has made significant advances against Iraqi government forces in recent weeks.
