Airstrikes could undermine Obama’s legacy on Iraq

After years of resisting the pull of more Middle-East conflicts, US President Barack Obama has sent the military back into action in Iraq, where he once accused his predecessor of waging a "dumb war".

US planes yesterday bombed Islamic militants who were towing artillery outside Irbil near US personnel, the Pentagon said.

The aggressive insurgency threatens to undermine Obama’s legacy as the commander in chief who ended a long and unpopular war in which nearly 4,500 American troops died.