John Kerry on Iraqi violence: US not returning, this is their fight

Violence in Iraq has returned and the Iraqi government has reportedly lost control of Fallujah and Ramadi to al Qaeda even as the military launched a major offensive against the group.

Despite these reports of escalating violence, the Obama administration made a clear statement: the troops are not going back.

President Barack Obama talks with Secretary of State John Kerry in the Oval Office, Nov. 1, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States will help Iraq but won’t send in troops to fight the terrorists.

“That is exactly what the president and the world decided some time ago when we left Iraq, so we are not obviously contemplating returning,” Kerry said.

“We are not contemplating putting boots on the ground. This is their fight,” he said. “We will help them in their fight, but this fight, in the end, they will have to win and I am confident they can.”

A new UN report claims that 2013 was the deadliest year in Iraq since 2008.

Anbar province: masked terrorists brandishing guns and rocket-propelled grenades and chanting ”God is great” have vowed to punish anyone who supports the Iraqi government.

“The revolutionaries of Fallujah tribes have resolved to punish those, the covetous, who are linked to the sectarian government,” a member of the Fallujah Military Council said.

The group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has steadily gained control of the province. They want to create an Islamic state near Syria’s border.

“The most dangerous thing is that they are able to call fighters together and launch suicide attacks at any time,” political analyst Tarek Abud said.