Iraqi president talks Syria security with US diplomat

Iraqi President Barham Saleh has discussed the situation in northern Syria with a visiting US official and he says they focused on ways of preventing Islamic militants from taking advantage of the chaos to rise again.

A statement by Saleh’s office says he spoke in Baghdad with David Schenker, US assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, about ways of supporting Iraq to preserve its security “amid the current challenges.”

There have been concerns that the Turkish military operation against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria might affect the protection of prisons where some 10,000 the Islamic State group members are being held.

The statement said both officials said the extremists should not be given a chance “to revive their criminal activities and threaten the region and world’s security.”

— AP