“Mosul is a large city, and ISIL has embedded itself deeply in that city”, Obama said after meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in NY.
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Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on Sunday about Iraq’s refusal to “dictate terms” during the talks that took place recently with the International Monetary Fund, noting that the Iraqi delegation presented to the fund a plan to reform the economic system in the country.
US and Iraqi officials have said the push on Mosul could begin in October, though there are concerns that not enough planning has been done for how to manage Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, if and when ISIS is kicked out.
“Hopefully by the end of this year we will have seen further progress with respect to Mosul and. further progress with respect to economic and political stabilization inside of Iraq”. The White House said they discussed climate change, the refugee crisis and the fight against the east Africa-based militant group al-Shabab.
As part of Obama’s push, more than 50 USA companies were pledging to spend, raise or contribute more than $650 million to support refugees’ resettlement, education and employment, the White House said.
Iraqi security forces said it launched two operations to free the town of Shirqat in Salahudin province and two areas in Anbar province from Islamic State (IS) militants, security sources said.
“We are going to kick Daesh out of Mosul”, Abadi said, using another name for the Islamic State group, “and deal a huge blow to what Daesh believes in”. The administration considers Abadi to be an improvement over the sectarian approach of predecessor Nouri al-Maliki.
Obama also planned to meet Monday with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and socialize with USA diplomats who work at the U.N. He was also to raise money in private for Senate Democrats, a day after holding another fundraiser for Hillary Clinton.
Obama’s speech is always a focal point of the annual U.N. General Assembly. The Democratic presidential nominee was holding her own program of meetings with foreign leaders attending the United Nations summit as she worked to portray herself as more presidential than Trump.
Vice President Joe Biden will meet Abadi Thursday. The U.S. has told invited countries they must show up with significant commitments in hand to resettle and support more refugees.
Mosul, some 400 km north of Baghdad, is the second largest city in Iraq.
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Later this week, Obama will have meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.
