US defence chief reviews anti-IS war in Baghdad

Baghdad, December 16

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter held talks in Baghdad today to review progress in the war against the Islamic State group.

Carter, who yesterday visited a Turkish base that has become a key hub for air raids against the jihadists, met Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi.

They discussed means of "improving cooperation between the two countries in the fields of arming and training," a statement from Abadi's office said.

Carter and his delegation also met US partners in the international anti-IS coalition, and were due to leave later Wednesday.

US aircraft carry out daily air strikes against IS targets, most of them in the Iraqi part of the jihadists' self-proclaimed "caliphate", which also covers regions in Syria.

Out of the 11 strikes conducted by the coalition on Tuesday in Iraq, five were on targets in the area of Ramadi, which Iraqi forces are trying to wrest back from IS, according to a US military statement.

President Barack Obama said on Monday the US and its allies were hitting IS "harder than ever" and warned the extremists' leaders: "You are next." — AFP