Iraq has asked the U.S. government for air assistance to help curb an uprising by al-Qaeda affiliated militants, who have taken two major cities in the country in the past few days, NBC News reported. The White House is considering several options, including "the possibility of providing 'kinetic support' for the Iraqi military." Officials said they have expedited shipments of military equipment and strengthened Iraqi Security Forces, and that assistance to Iraq will continue and increase. Militants have seized Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, and Tikrit, the birthplace of Saddam Hussein.
