Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says U.S.-led airstrikes against the Islamic State group have been “very effective,” but that his government expects more help from the international community.

In an interview Wednesday in Baghdad with the Associated Press, Abadi stressed the need for fighting on the ground and said the training that international military advisers are giving Iraqi forces needs to happen more quickly.

“We are very thankful for the air campaign to support our military, but I think you cannot achieve victory without a real fight on the ground, and we are doing this fight and we are expecting other countries to match our fight,” he said. “We don’t want anybody to fight with us on this, but we need support and logistics.”

The prime minister also said Iraq is struggling to find the resources to buy arms and needs help to get them quickly.

President Barack Obama has ruled out sending ground troops to Iraq. He authorized the air campaign there last August targeting Islamic State militants.
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