WASHINGTON
American Vice President Joe Biden spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Monday pledging America's backing for Iraq's fight against al-Qaeda-linked militants, who have reportedly gained control in at least one city in the country's Anbar province, west of capital Baghdad.
"We're working closely with the Iraqis to develop a holistic strategy to isolate the al-Qaeda-affiliated groups, and we have seen some early successes in Ramadi," White House spokesperson Jay Carney told reporters in a daily briefing.
On Sunday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington would help the Iraqi government defeat fighters of the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) but will not deploy American troops on the ground to engage the insurgents in some of the bloodiest confrontations between the central government and insurgent groups since US troops pulled out in 2011.
Militants of the al-Qaeda-affiliated group have taken over Fallujah as Iraqi forces were reportedly getting prepared to reclaim the western city.
"This situation remains fluid, and it's too early to tell or make conclusions about it. But we're accelerating our foreign military sales deliveries," Carney said, adding that the military equipment the US would send to Iraq included helicopter gunship missiles and surveillance drones.
The Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) made significant gains against the central government late last week in the western al Anbar province. The government and ISIS clashed over the weekend in the flashpoint city of Fallujah.
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