Washington: The United States vowed to help Iraq combat terror groups as mounting attacks claimed more lives ahead of talks between Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and President Barack Obama.
Maliki`s visit to Washington comes as his country is wracked by the worst unrest since 2008, and just a few weeks before the two-year anniversary of the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.
Only hours before he met with Vice President Joe Biden for talks focusing heavily on security, three suicide bombings killed 14 Iraqi security forces, the deadliest in a series of attacks which have left 35 dead in two days.
"Vice President Biden reiterated the US commitment to equip Iraqis to fight Al-Qaeda, and Prime Minister Maliki made clear that he views the United States as Iraq`s security partner of choice," the White House said in a statement, calling the talks "friendly" and "constructive."
Unrest in Iraq has reached a level unseen since 2008 and killed more than 5,400 people this year, with Iraqi authorities so far failing to curb daily attacks despite a swathe of operations and tightened security measures.
Although Iraq has already received some USD 14 billion in US support, Maliki has said he intends to press Washington for more help when he meets with Obama tomorrow at the White House.
"We do want to help the Iraqis develop the capability to target these networks effectively and precisely," a senior administration official told reporters after the two-hour breakfast meeting.
"It is a fact now that Al-Qaeda has a presence in western Iraq, and it has a presence in terms of camps and facilities and staging areas that the Iraqi forces are unable to target effectively," the US official said, asking not to be named.
Many militants are slipping into Iraq from Syria, armed with heavy weapons, and targeting Iraqi forces as well as civilian Shiite areas. "They`re targeting playgrounds, weddings, funerals, and this is having a devastating psychological impact," the official said.
Washington had "a pretty good handle now on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant networks and where they are and where it`s coming from," the US official said.
In a bid to clamp down on the attacks, the US was "increasing expert cooperation with the Iraqis... To help the Iraqis have a better vision of what they face so they can target it effectively."
US officials have also already notified Congress of plans to sell Iraq "a major air defense system which allows them for the first time to take sovereign control of their air space, which right now they don`t have," the official said.
