Iraqi Leader: Trump To Accelerate Support
Emerging from his first meeting with President Donald Trump, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Monday he was assured the U.S. will accelerate its support for his country's struggle against the Islamic State group. "I think they are prepared to do more" than the administration of President Barack Obama, he said. Obama was reluctant to […]Vivian Salama and Robert Burns report for AP:
Emerging from his first meeting with President Donald Trump, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Monday he was assured the U.S. will accelerate its support for his country's struggle against the Islamic State group.
"I think they are prepared to do more" than the administration of President Barack Obama, he said. Obama was reluctant to commit large numbers of U.S. troops to combatting IS in Iraq, but his approach, which relied on training and supporting local forces, has succeeded in pushing the militants out of much of the territory they once held.
Speaking at a Washington think tank shortly after his White House visit, al-Abadi said he got the impression that the Trump administration will take a more aggressive approach, although he did not say what that might entail.
