Trump tells Iraqi PM Abadi that US will expand combat forces in his country

Sputnik
Sat, 11 Feb 2017 14:49 UTC

© Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

Donald Trump told Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in a telephone call that the US armed forces are expanding their combat forces within his country.

President Donald Trump told Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in a telephone call that the US armed forces are expanding their combat forces within his country, the White House announced in a readout.

"President Trump emphasized the buildup of the United States military," the readout said on Friday. "President Trump also congratulated Iraqi forces on their recent progress in Mosul [and] thanked Prime Minister Abadi for his leadership."

Moreover, Trump and Abadi discussed the threat they believed that Iran presented to the entire Middle East region, the White House noted.

"Both leaders spoke to the threat Iran presents across the entire region. They also reaffirmed their commitment to the long-term partnership between the United States and Iraq grounded in the US-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement," the readout stated.

Trump also emphasized the continuing support of the United States for the Iraqi people in their shared fight against the Islamic State terror group, the White House added.

Comment: Further reading: ISIS is not the biggest killer of US troops in the Middle East - it's suicide!

Earlier this year, the DoD released a similar report from 2014 that revealed some startling numbers. In all of 2014, a total of 55 US troops, in both hostile and non-hostile situations, lost their lives in foreign occupations. The number of soldiers who killed themselves was nearly 5 times that amount.