<u+201c>it is in the interest of the united states and iraq to keep this relationship," iraq<u+2019>s prime minister haider al-abadi says.  | getty by louis nelson 11/29/16 07:18 am est president-elect donald trump has promised increased u.s. support to the iraqi effort currently fighting to push islamic state fighters out of the city of mosul, iraq<u+2019>s prime minister haider al-abadi told the associated press in an interview published tuesday. <u+201c>it is in the interest of the united states and iraq to keep this relationship. i am eager to keep this relationship because it's good for us and it's good for everyone else,<u+201d> al-abadi said. <u+201c>in my telephone call with president-elect trump, he assured me that u.s. support will not only continue, but it is going to be increased. so, i think am going to be looking forward to more u.s. support at this time.<u+201d> story continued below that increase in american support will be of a logistical nature, al-abadi said, including the training and arming of iraqi forces. given the scope of the islamic state and its recruiting draw from nations around the world, he said such cooperation between the two nations <u+201c>is very helpful for us and is very helpful for the united states.<u+201d> al-abadi said he remains hopeful that his forces, aided by u.s. support, will be able to free mosul from islamic state control by the end of the year, but would not commit to a specific timetable. he said the presence of civilians inside the city presented challenges for iraqi forces, who have nonetheless made progress and have surrounded the city. the iraqi prime minister said he would not judge trump by his campaign rhetoric but will instead wait to see what actions he takes after assuming office. the manhattan billionaire said regularly on the campaign trail that the u.s. should have taken control of iraqi oil fields when it invaded in 2003, a position that al-abadi dismissed as <u+201c>only election statements.<u+201d> <u+201c>when they come to power, to office, i think they will be pragmatic. i think mr. trump is a pragmatic man, he is a businessman. he will look at the situation as is,<u+201d> he said, echoing president barack obama, who made a similar statement in the days after trump was elected. <u+201c>i am not going to judge the man by his election statements. i am going to judge him by what he does later. it is not my role to judge any u.s. president, to be honest with you. all we are going to do is to judge our relationship with the united states.<u+201d> by bill scher by thomas wright by joshua zeitz by jack shafer
iraqi pm: trump promised more support to fight islamic state - politico
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