US 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
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