Barack Obama to Make Statement on Iraq: White House

Washington: US President Barack Obama will make a statement on Iraq on Thursday as he faces rising pressure to respond to rampant advances by Sunni militant fighters.

Obama will appear in the White House briefing room at 1630 GMT and is likely to bolster US warnings that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki must drop what Washington sees as a sectarian approach to governing, which has worsened the situation in the country.