WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The White House said on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump will speak at an upcoming ministerial meeting hosted by the State Department on Wednesday to discuss future plans to defeat the Islamic State (IS).
According to a statement issued by the White House, Trump will speak at the ministerial at 2:45 p.m. local time.
It added that the meeting will bring together the 79-member Global Coalition in Washington, D.C. "to move forward in unity and common purpose on our commitment to defeat ISIS."
U.S. State Department said earlier on Monday that the meeting, the 10th of its kind since the coalition was founded in 2014, will focus on the resources needed and specific plans in 2019.
However, Trump's latest decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and his latest controversial remarks concerning U.S. forces in Iraq have, to quite an extent, overshadowed the upcoming meeting.
The U.S.-led coalition has been engaged in an operation to drive out the IS militants from their last stronghold in the eastern Euphrates region in eastern Syria.
In December, however, Trump announced the withdrawal U.S. troops from Syria, citing that the local IS force has been largely defeated.
Nevertheless, several bombs have been detonated in Syria since then, claiming lives of several U.S. soldiers and local militants. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis also resigned shortly after Trump's withdrawal decision.
During an interview with CBS television aired on Sunday, Trump reportedly said that the important role of U.S. troops in Iraq is "to watch Iran," sparking anger and rejection in Iraq.
