The UAE is a strong ally of the United States in the war against terrorism, the White House press secretary said.
At the weekly press briefing on Monday, in Washington DC, John Earnest said UAE aircraft were bombing ISIL positions alongside US fighters and that both countries were working together to defeat the terrorist organisation.
Mr Earnest said Joe Biden, the US vice president, did not mean to accuse the UAE of supporting Syrian extremists, Al Ittihad, the Arabic-language sister paper of The National, reported. The statements, made during a speech Mr Biden gave at the John F Kennedy Jr Forum at Harvard University's Institute of Politics last week, saw the vice president accuse the UAE, Turkey and Saudi Arabia of funding and arming extremists.
The press secretary added that the vice president had since spoken to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, to apologise.
The US will continue to work alongside the UAE to cut off funding for ISIL and stop the flow of foreign fighters into the region, said Mr Earnest.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
