Trump holds call with Iraqi leader after reports of Syria chemical attack

President Trump on Sunday spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in the aftermath of an alleged chemical attack on Syrian civilians and amid uncertainty over whether the U.S. will withdraw its troops from the war-torn country.

The two leaders discussed the situation in Syria after reports emerged early Sunday that dozens died in a suspected chemical weapons attack on a hospital in the city of Douma. The death count will likely rise.

{mosads}The two also discussed the future campaign to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, according to a White House readout of the call. Al-Abadi thanked Trump for the United States’s support in the fight against the terrorist group, and the two talked about how to defeat the remaining pockets of the organization.

The call comes as Trump sends mixed signals about the future of U.S. involvement in Syria. Two weeks ago, the president said U.S. military forces in the country would return home “very soon.”

He doubled down on that claim last week, saying other countries in the region, like Saudi Arabia, could pay for the U.S. to extend its military presence in Syria.

Following the reported attack, however, Trump slammed Syrian President Bashar Assad and tweeted there would be a “big price to pay” for the incident.