Biden Tries to Placate Iraq Over Pentagon Criticism, as Abadi Vows to Retake Ramadi ‘Within Days’

Stung by U.S. criticism of his troops’ performance against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL), Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi vowed in comments aired Monday to recapture the city of Ramadi from the jihadists “within days.”

 

Meanwhile Vice President Joe Biden in a phone call assured Abadi of U.S. support and, according to a White House readout, “recognized the enormous sacrifice and bravery of Iraqi forces over the past eighteen months in Ramadi and elsewhere.”

 

“The Vice President pledged full U.S. support in these and other Iraqi efforts to liberate territory from ISIL, including the expedited provision of U.S. training and equipment to address the threat posed by ISIL’s use of truck bombs,” the White House stated.

 

Biden’s reported sentiments were in stark contrast to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s scathing assessment that “what happened at Ramadi was a failure of the Iraqi forces to fight.”

 

Read More: Biden Tries to Placate Iraq Over Pentagon Criticism, as Abadi Vows to Retake Ramadi ‘Within Days’