ERBIL, Kurdistan Region--The political crisis in Baghdad is hampering the United States’ preparations to expand its military campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq. US officials have recently hinted at an acceleration of operations against ISIS as the campaign enters a new phase but are hesitant to reveal details for fear of further weakening embattled Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Abadi is struggling to put together a new cabinet in the face of mass protests, demands for reform and an end to corruption. American officials are treading a fine diplomatic line as they worry that proposing increased American military activity in Iraq could harm a vulnerable Abadi. US Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter, speaking at a news conference at the Al Dhafra air base in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, confirmed the US military is intensifying its campaign against ISIS. “You should expect… to see us doing more,” he said. Carter's statement comes a few days after Col. Steven H. Warren, the US military spokesman in Iraq, declared that the first stage of the campaign against ISIS, degradation of the terrorist group, was complete. “We are now in phase two, which is to dismantle this enemy,” he stated. "Our enemy has been weakened and we are now working to fracture him." Officials are keeping mum on the specifics however. Speaking anonymously to the New York Times, American military officials said that the goal is to increase training efforts, moving American military trainers already in the country closer to Mosul in preparation for the fight to retake the city. In addition, Apache helicopters would actively participate in the battle for Mosul. To this point, the Apaches have only been used to protect American personnel in the country. The United Nations has also expressed concern that Baghdad’s political woes are damaging the fight against ISIS. “The only party that benefits from the political divisions and chaos as well as the weakening of the State and its institutions is Daesh,” said Gyorgy Busztin, acting head of the UN’s mission in Iraq, UNAMI, in a statement on Friday, using a pejorative for the terrorist group. “We should not allow this to happen.”
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