PM Abadi says Trump has vowed 'firm' support to Iraq

Baghdad [Iraq], Nov. 19 (ANI): Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said that U S President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to provide "strong and firm" support to his government. "You are key partners to us and will find strong and firm support," a statement from Abadi's office quoted Trump, as saying during an evening phone call between the two leaders on Friday. The statement said that Trump sent his congratulations to Iraq over its latest victories against the Islamic State (IS) militants, reports Xinhua. During the conversation, Trump also invited Abadi to visit Washington shortly after the January inauguration. The two leaders reviewed the victories of the Iraqi forces in their fight against the IS, stressing the importance of mobilizing all efforts to root out the ideology of terrorism, said the sattement. On November 9, Trump defeated his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton to become the 45th president of the United States. Leading a coalition of more than 60 countries, the United States has been using airstrikes to fight IS militants in Syria and Iraq. Moreover, hundreds of U.S. military personnel are now deployed in Iraq to provide support to the government forces in battles to drive out IS militants from the city of Mosul, some 400 km north of the capital Baghdad. (ANI)