President Obama spoke by phone today with Prime Minister Stephen Harper regarding the Ebola outbreak and the counter-ISIL campaign.   The President thanked Prime Minister Harper for Canada’s commitment to international efforts to combat Ebola.  The two leaders discussed the urgency of greater international action and ways the United States and Canada could collaborate further to halt the spread of the outbreak and growth of new cases in West Africa.

They also discussed developments in the campaign to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL.  The President thanked Prime Minister Harper for Canada’s contribution of advisors to help train Iraqi forces as well as plans to deploy fighter jets, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets to support coalition airstrikes in Iraq against ISIL.  The President  updated Prime Minister Harper on recent developments and on the growing international coalition of some 60 nations committed to the effort against ISIL.