White House pledges Iraq another $9 million in aid

Vice President Biden pledged another $9 million in humanitarian aid to Iraq during a meeting with the the country’s speaker of parliament, the White House said Friday.

President Obama also dropped by a meeting with Saleem al-Jabouri to discuss the campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

{mosads}The additional aid, which helps Iraqis displaced by the fighting with ISIS, brings the total amount to $416 million since 2014, according to a White House statement.

It also follows a $200 million commitment Obama made in April  Obama in April.

The ramped-up assistance comes as the U.S. is deepening its military involvement to defeat the extremist group, which has made gains in recent months.

Obama said he would send an additional 450 military personnel to train and assist Iraqi security forces and militia groups battling ISIS. The U.S.-led coalition is trying to take back the city of Ramadi, the site of a major victory for ISIS that called into question the readiness of Iraqi troops.

Biden met with al-Jabouri for breakfast Friday at his residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington, where they discussed the train-and-equip mission.