Iraqi PM tells Obama: We need more weapons
Iraq's armed forces need more weapons from the United States to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (also known as ISIS, or ISIL), Iraq's new Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told President Obama on Wednesday in their first bilateral meeting since al-Abadi took office.
The one-on-one meeting occurred on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly gathering in New York.
Through a translator, al-Abadi told reporters on Wednesday that Mr. Obama promised the delivery of more weapons to fight Islamic extremists "as soon as possible." Iraq's armed forces, he said, have lost much of their equipment in their confrontations with ISIS, al-Abadi said. Many of the weapons were destroyed, while some have fallen into the hands of ISIS.
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Mr. Obama, meanwhile, said that his primary message to al-Abadi was, "although we cannot do this for you, we can be a strong partner and we are fully committed to your success."
The U.S. president added that he has been "very impressed" with al-Abadi's vision and efforts to reach out to Iraq's different factions.
"Mr. Abadi understands in order for Iraq to succeed it's not just a matter of a military campaign," he said. "It's also a matter of the need for political outreach."
The prime minister, he said, "has articulated a vision of reform and commitment to moving forward with many of the laws that previously stalled but offered the potential of unleashing energy and entrepreneurship inside of Iraq."
