Secretary of State John Kerry urged the Iraqi Foreign Minister to support formation of a new government quickly in the war-torn nation, the State Department said Friday night.
Mr. Kerry spoke Friday with the foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, on the developing threat of the Islamic State, often known by the abbreviations ISIS or ISIL.
The U.S. has been pressuring Iraq to form a new government quickly in order to better combat the growing extremist threat.
The agency said that Mr. Zebari expressed his condolences on the murder of James Foley, and American journalist who was working in Syria. Mr. Kerry, in turn, expressed his regrets over the countless Iraqis killed by the Islamic State.
“Both leaders recognized that Iraq is on the front line in the war against ISIL and that Iraq, the United States, the region and the international community must stand together to face this threat,” the State Department said in a press release.
• Phillip Swarts can be reached at pswarts@washingtontimes.com.
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