Obama Pushes Iraqis to Mend Sectarian Rifts

WASHINGTON - Leading Republican lawmakers with national security portfolios called on the Obama administration on Sunday to take immediate action, in conjunction with allies in the Middle East and possibly even with Iran, to halt the surprisingly swift progress of Islamic extremist forces in Iraq.

Neither Representative Mike Rogers of Michigan, chairman of the Intelligence Committee, nor Representative Michael T. McCaul of Texas, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, suggested that President Obama deploy ground troops. But Mr. Rogers and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said that airstrikes might be necessary.

Mr. Rogers, appearing on 'Fox News Sunday,' rejected President Obama's insistence that any new support for the embattled Iraqi government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, who is a Shiite, would be contingent on Mr. Maliki's moves to reconcile with the nation's Sunni and Kurdish populations. No reconciliation is in sight, Mr. Rogers said.

'This whole notion of Sunni vs. Shia is wrong,' he said. 'Not every Sunni has joined Al Qaeda.'

He suggested that the United States quickly chart a joint approach with the 22-nation Arab League, and said that the American military could provide it with command-and-control assistance, intelligence and help with the selection of military targets.

It is not clear, however, that the Arab League, which includes some major Sunni powers, could muster a common approach against the mainly Sunni militants in Iraq. When the Arab group convened in Kuwait in March, its leaders feuded openly over issues like how to deal with Islamic militants fighting the Syrian government.

Both Mr. Rogers and Mr. McCaul firmly rejected the suggestion by President Hassan Rouhani of Iran that his country could help the Maliki government repel the extremist threat, possibly even by working with the United States.

'Don't think for a minute that Iran's not looking at this vacuum as a potential power grab as well,' Mr. McCaul said. 'And I think we need to be very cognizant of that fact.'

Mr. Graham, unlike the two other legislators, said that it might be necessary to cooperate with Iran to keep Baghdad from being overrun.

'The Iranians can provide some assets to make sure Baghdad doesn't fall,' he said. 'We need to coordinate with the Iranians. And the Turks need to get in the game and get the Sunni Arabs back into the game, form a new government without' Mr. Maliki.

Both Mr. Rogers and Mr. McCaul warned that the extremists' resurgence across parts of Syria and Iraq could evolve into one of the greatest terrorist threats since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, as hundreds of Westerners who have joined the militant forces eventually may return to Europe or the United States.

'You have an Al Qaeda army on the move' in Iraq, using exceptionally brutal tactics, said Mr. Rogers, adding, 'This is as dangerous as it gets.'

Mr. McCaul said he had told the White House, which sought his advice, that he would immediately send Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Secretary of State John Kerry to work with American allies in the region on a broader strategy, 'because, you know, look, without their cooperation against the extremists, this is not going to happen.'

In contrast to Mr. Rogers, Mr. McCaul said he would press for sectarian reconciliation in Iraq. But he, too, injected a note of urgency, saying, 'We need to stop this, but the action needs to be now, not two weeks down the road.' He appeared on the ABC News program 'This Week.'

Mr. Graham, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said that he found it 'stunning' that no one in Congress was demanding a voice before President Obama decides on possible military action in Iraq, years after the American combat role ended.

'Everybody in Congress is scared to death of what's going to happen in Iraq,' he said on the CNN program 'State of the Union.' 'They won't come out and admit it. But nobody is saying, 'Mr. President, don't use air power.' '