US military advisers opened a joint operations center in Baghdad to assist the Iraqi military repel the advance of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham. The State Department said Syrian military action in Iraq would not be helpful, but that Iran “could play a constructive role” in Iraq. The White House called for the allocation of $500 million to train and equip vetted, “moderate” Syrian rebels; the Pentagon program would supplement or replace the current small covert CIA effort. The White House proposal included budget cuts for US operations in Afghanistan. The Pentagon said the elite counterterrorist Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines is being phased out, with staff reduced from its current 320 members to a dozen or so advisers.
