US vows to help Iraq defeat IS

US Secretary of State John Kerry has reassured Iraq’s new leader that there will be an international strategy to defeat Islamic State (IS) militants.
Mr Kerry, on a Middle East tour, said US President Barack Obama would outline the strategy later.
He praised PM Haidar al-Abadi’s plans to devolve powers to Iraq’s minorities and reform the military.
IS overran the army in many parts of northern Iraq, and gained backing from some disaffected Sunnis
Meanwhile, at least nine people died in a series of car bombs in east Baghdad.The explosions happened minutes apart in the Shia neighbourhood of New Baghdad. At least 25 others were injured.
Mr Kerry made an unannounced visit to the Iraqi capital Baghdad at the start of a tour of Middle Eastern capitals aimed at boosting military, political and financial support for the fight against IS.
Mr Abadi asked for international support to defeat the “cancer” of IS.
“Of course, our role is to defend our country, but the international community is responsible to protect Iraq,” he said after meeting Mr Kerry.
The US diplomat promised that President Obama would make it clear later on Wednesday what his country planned to do “to take on this terrorist structure”.
Mr Obama said on Tuesday that he had authority to widen military action against IS without the approval of Congress.
The US has already conducted dozens of air strikes on IS targets in the past month, in an effort to protect ethnic and religious minorities threatened by IS.
IS militants described the beheadings of two US journalists as a retaliation against the strikes.
Meanwhile, Saudi ambassador in London Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf, rejected suggestions that his government was supporting or funding IS.
He instead blamed a lack of international involvement for allowing the group to flourish.