President Obama speaks on Iraq security
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about the situation in Iraq from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington Reuters

President Obama has come under attack by Hillary Clinton, former US Secretary of State. She hit out at the policies of Obama and blamed him for the rise of Islamic militants including ISIS in Iraq, according to Time magazine.

In an interview by the Atlantic magazine, Hillary Clinton flayed the President for not helping the Syrian rebels in the early phase of the bloody conflict. Clinton also lampooned Obama's administration's minimalist doctrine as the excuse for staying away from important global political issues.

Yazidi Women Taken Hostage

Northern Iraq had been witnessing unprecedented attack by Sunni led Islamic Militants under the banner Islamic State (ISIS) targeting minorities such as Yazidis, Christians and Kurds. Meanwhile, the savagery of Islamic militants further accentuated with merciless attacks on the minority Yazidis in Northern Iraq.

According to a minister in the Iraq government, ISIS militants have killed at least 500 members of Yazidis and buried many of them alive. The militants also took hundreds of women as hostages.

Clinton blamed Obama administration's indecision and wariness in assisting rebels by drumming up imaginary fears that the US aid will slip into the hands of extremists. She said such fears were misguided and ineffectual. The dithering is proving costly now and paved the way for the rise of Islamic extremists like ISIS, who are now threatening to take the vital swathes in Iraq.

Jihadis Occupying Vacuum

The former secretary of state criticised Obama for not leveraging the opportunity to build a credible fighting force on behalf of the people. The Free Syrian Army, which was the actual originator of the anti Assad protests in Syria was a broad mass and enjoyed the support of all, including Islamists, secularists, and everything in the middle. But there was failure in building up that force. That unfilled space is now being taken over by the Jihadists, Clinton noted.

No End for Air Strikes

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama said there was no end date in his mind regarding American air strikes in Iraq. The President told reporters on Sunday that the problem will take some time.

On Sunday, the US continued its Air assault and humanitarian supplies. The U.S. military, pounded Islamic militant targets with fighters and drones and defended the Kurdish forces near Irbil. Several trucks belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and a mortar position were destroyed in raids, added BBC

From its three US C-17 and C-130 cargo aircraft, 70 bundles of supplies were air dropped for the trapped on Iraq's Mount Sinjar.