WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — “President will have a bilateral discussion with Prime Minister Abadi, in addition to Prime Minister Abadi joining one of the larger G7 sessions,” Rhodes told reporters.
Rhodes said the meeting is an opportunity to have Obama “check in directly” with Abadi about the situation in Iraq. “I would not anticipate new announcements,” the advisor added.
The Iraqi government continues fighting the Islamic State, after the terrorist group took over Ramadi, capital of the Anbar province, on May 17, 2015.
At present, ISIL controls one third of Iraq, including major strategic population centers in Mosul and Fallujah, and about 50 percent of Syria.
The White House has been insisting, however, that the US strategy to defeat ISIL terrorists is working despite some recent setbacks.
A US-led Coalition of some 60 nations has carried out more than 4,000 airstrikes against the Islamic State since August 2014.
