US stands with Iraq in fight against ISIL

The United States stands with Iraq in its fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Vice President Joe Biden told Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki during a phone conversation on Monday. "The Vice President expressed concern for those Iraqis who are suffering at the hands of terrorists and praised the recent security cooperation between Iraqi Security Forces and local and tribal forces in Anbar province," said the statement released on Monday night by the Office of the Vice President. Al-Maliki "affirmed the importance of working closely with Iraq's Sunni leaders and communities to isolate extremists," the statement said. Biden and Al-Maliki "agreed to continue to deepen the U.S.-Iraq security partnership under the Strategic Framework Agreement," it said. In a second phone conversation on Monday, Biden spoke with Iraqi Council of Representatives Speaker Osama Al-Nujaifi, and praised the recent cooperation between Iraqi Security Forces and Sunni local, tribal and national leaders in the fight against the ISIL, unfolding in Anbar. "Speaker Al-Nujaifi reaffirmed his commitment to Iraq's fight against terrorism," the announcement said. The two discussed how best to sustain and deepen recent cooperation between Sunni communities and the Iraqi government, it said. Source: KUNA