Iraq PM Says It Will Take More Than Armies to Beat ISIS
U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to accelerate support to beat Islamic State (ISIS) but Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi replied there are better ways for the United States to help than sending combat troops. The premier made the remark during his visit to the White House where he was hosted by the president on Monday.
While Abadi lauded the Trump administration's willingness to become more engaged in fighting Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria, he doesn't believe that stepping up the deployment of ground troops would defeat them. The prime minister has earlier called for the reduction of U.S. troops in the region.
Speaking at the U.S. Institute of Peace after meeting Trump, Abadi advised stakeholders to be careful, saying there are better ways to defeat terrorism than fighting it militarily. "Committing troops is one thing. Fighting terrorism is another thing," Washington Post quoted him.
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He added that governments and militaries succeed only if they win the trust and support of the civilian populace through reforms such as anti-corruption measures and good governance. It will be a sad day if people believe that a dictatorship is better than democracy for its failure to protect and provide for them and to get rid of corruption.
Trump reassured Abadi of continued and accelerated support from the United States. "Mosul is moving along," the president told reporters before meeting the prime minister at the Cabinet Room. "We will figure something out. I mean, we have to get rid of ISIS. We're going to get rid of ISIS."
At that press conference, Abadi made a subtle reference to the border wall Trump plans to build between Mexico and the United States. "I don't think you protect yourself by having to partition yourself from your neighbors," he said. "We have to build bridges with others and work with others to be more secure. Otherwise, you build walls."
