The United States President Barack Obama has scheduled meetings with the leaders of
Iraq, Nigeria and Colombia and plans to promote trade between the U.S.
and Africa as he continues his efforts to defeat the Islamic State
group, the white house said Friday. Obama plans to sit down Monday with
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to discuss progress the country has
made countering the Islamic State group, a coming Iraqi military
operation to take back the city of Mosul from IS militants, and a
brewing humanitarian crisis inside Iraq, said Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy
national security adviser.
Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this
week while visiting Baghdad that Iraqi forces aided by the U.S.-led
coalition against IS had retaken half the territory that militants once
held in the country. He also announced more than $181 million in aid to
address a humanitarian crisis that has festered in Iraq as a result of
the insurgency.
Despite a series of major defeats in recent months, IS has maintained
its grip on Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city.
Meanwhile, North Korea continues to defy the international community with its recent nuclear and ballistic missile tests.
Obama also plans to meet Tuesday with Nigerian President Muhammadu
Buhari, to talk about continued U.S. support for security and economic
changes in the country, as well the government’s efforts to counter the
Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.
At a summit on refugees that the president is hosting, Obama is expected
to press more nations to open their borders and help double the number
of refugees who are resettled around the world.
Obama will devote a portion of Wednesday, the final day of the General
Assembly session, to promoting trade between the U.S. and Africa.
Source: AP