Iraqi prime minister: We need more coalition help fighting ISIS
Iraq's prime minister Haider al-Abadi says that so far, assistance from the international community in fighting ISIS has been all show and no go.
"We are in this almost on our own," al-Abadi told the The Associated Press. "There is a lot being said and spoken, but very little on the ground."
Al-Abadi isn't asking for more American boots on the ground, despite President Obama's November authorization of the deployment of 1,500 more American troops to the region. The prime minister said he is grateful for the U.S.-led air raid campaign, which "has been very, very effective," but asserts that his country needs "support and logistics."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
"We are left almost alone to get these arms and munitions for the army, for our fighters, and we expect much more," Al-Abadi said.
Obama called on Congress in his State of the Union address last night "to show the world that we are united in this mission by passing a resolution to authorize the use of force against ISIL."
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said today that a vote on whether Congress can use military force against the Islamic State will come "by the spring."
Making sense of the week's political news, delivered every Wednesday