Kerry pledges U.S. support for Iraq ahead of Obama's IS speech
- 10 years ago
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was in Baghdad on Wednesday, beginning a tour of the Middle East to build military, political and financial support to defeat Islamic State militants controlling parts of Iraq and Syria.
"Today President Obama asked me to come here not just to build a coalition, not just to talk to Iraqis about the road forward at the moment, but also to underscore to the people of Iraq that the United States will stand by them in this effort. We stand by Iraq as it continues to build a government that meets the needs of each of Iraq's diverse communities and we stand by them as they fight to overcome the single greatest threat that their government, their families and their neighbors face today, and that's ISIL," Kerry told reporters, using the acronym for an alternative name for the militants, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Kerry said he was impressed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's plans to rebuild
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was in Baghdad on Wednesday, beginning a tour of the Middle East to build military, political and financial support to defeat Islamic State militants controlling parts of Iraq and Syria.
"Today President Obama asked me to come here not just to build a coalition, not just to talk to Iraqis about the road forward at the moment, but also to underscore to the people of Iraq that the United States will stand by them in this effort. We stand by Iraq as it continues to build a government that meets the needs of each of Iraq's diverse communities and we stand by them as they fight to overcome the single greatest threat that their government, their families and their neighbors face today, and that's ISIL," Kerry told reporters, using the acronym for an alternative name for the militants, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Kerry said he was impressed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's plans to rebuild