Iraqi Premier Meets Putin as Islamic State Threat Grows
This article is for subscribers only.
Russian President Vladimir Putin began talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Moscow on Thursday as accelerating gains by Islamic State pose a growing threat in the Middle East.
Abadi told Putin he hoped his visit to Russia would help the fight against terrorism in Iraq and in the region. Islamic State militants last week seized the city of Ramadi, 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of the capital Baghdad. The radical Sunni group, which controls large swathes of Iraq and Syria, on Wednesday also occupied the northern Syrian city of Palmyra, a strategic location that is home to one of the region’s most renowned classical sites.