Washington: US Secretary of State John Kerry would travel to the Middle East on Wednesday to discuss with leaders of the region the current situation in Iraq and build an international coalition against the Islamic State.
"On September 9th, Kerry will depart for travel to Amman, Jordan, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In Amman and Jeddah, Secretary Kerry will hold bilateral meetings with counterparts to discuss regional issues and the current situation in Iraq," State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters.
"While traveling in the region, Secretary Kerry will also consult with key partners and allies on how to further support the security and stability of the Iraqi government, combat the threat posed by ISIL and confront Middle East security challenges," she said.
Kerry will discuss with regional leaders how they can engage on measures that they can take to assist the coalition that is developing to degrade and defeat ISIL, she said in response to a question.
"There are obviously a range of capabilities or capacities that different countries have. The focus will be on multiple lines of effort, including military support to our Iraqi partners, stopping the flow of foreign fighters, countering ISIL financing and funding, addressing humanitarian crises and delegitimizing ISIL's ideology," she said.
So far 10 countries, including the US, have joined the international coalition. There are more than 40 countries that have contributed to the effort in Iraq, whether that's humanitarian assistance, whether that's arms to the Kurds, a range of steps that countries have taken.
"This is building on that effort. So it will be a discussions with the countries he will be visiting. Obviously that was a discussion last week. This will be an ongoing effort," she said.
ISIS or IS is an al-Qaeda splinter group and it has seized hundreds of square miles in Iraq and Syria.
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