Iraq’s premier says more support needed to ’finish’ IS

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s prime minister said Monday his country needs greater support from the international coalition so it can “finish” the Islamic State group.

Haider al-Abadi said the “marked increase” in airstrikes, weapons deliveries and training has helped roll back the extremist group, but that more is required to eliminate the group once and for all.

“We want to see more,” al-Abadi told journalists as he boarded a flight to Washington where he will meet with President Barack Obama as part of his first official visit to the U.S. as prime minister.

“We can finish Daesh...and we can stop their advance in other countries,” he added, using the group’s Arabic acronym. “We are the only country with armed forces on the ground fighting Daesh. We need all the support of the world.”

The US and its coalition allies have carried out nearly 2,000 strikes in Iraq since its campaign began in August — as well as nearly 1,400 in neighboring Syria. American officials say the campaign has been somewhat successful, though it is likely to stretch on for years.

In November, Obama authorized the deployment of up to 1,500 more American troops to bolster Iraqi forces, which could more than double the total number of U.S. forces to 3,100. The Pentagon has made a spending request to Congress of $1.6 billion, focusing on training and arming Iraqi and Kurdish forces. According to a Pentagon document prepared in November, the U.S. is looking to provide an estimated $89.3 million worth of weapons and other equipment to each of the nine Iraqi army brigades.