AMMAN
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Jordan on Wednesday following a quick visit to Iraq as part of efforts to drum up international support against Islamic State militants.
"Kerry arrived in Amman to pursue efforts aimed at forming an international coalition against Islamic State militants," a Jordanian diplomatic source told Anadolu Agency.
Kerry is expected to meet Jordanian officials, including King Abdullah II, to discuss the perceived threat posed by the Islamic State group, as well as recent regional developments and bilateral ties, according to the source.
Kerry arrived in Iraq on Wednesday where he held talks with Haidar al-Abadi, the newly-appointed prime minister, and other senior officials.
The Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), recently seized vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, raising tension in the region.
The U.S. has led efforts to form a regional and international coalition to fight the threat to the Middle East posed by the group.
Since early last month, the U.S. has carried out a total of 143 airstrikes across Iraq against sites said to be held by the Islamic State.
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Iraqi government troops – backed by U.S. air support – are said to have recently made slow but steady progress in areas under the group's control.
John Kerry promised that the regional and international coalition formed against the self-proclaimed Islamic State militants will continue to broaden and deepen in the upcoming days.
In a press conference after his meeting in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, he said "The coalition..., I assure you, will continue to grow and deepen in the days ahead, including at the UN General Assembly in New York later this month."
Kerry said around 40 other countries along with the U.S. are already contributing military, humanitarian and other assistance to aid the international campaign against the Islamic State.
He maintained that the strategy President Barack Obama will lay out on the wider region is broad-based and comprehensive, not just limited with air bombardment or direct military assistance.
The U.S. top diplomat stressed that the strategy will also include efforts to strengthen Iraqi security forces on the ground.
"It will be comprehensive with Iraqi forces on the ground in Iraq with an army that will be reconstituted and trained and worked," he said.
U.S. forces have conducted more than 100 strikes on IS targets in Iraq and the Obama administration has sent more than 1,000 military personnel to protect American facilities and to advise Iraqi and Kurdish forces on the ground.
Washington has been in search of a broad international coalition to deal with the IS threat as Obama ruled out American boots on the ground from the very beginning of the IS upsurge in Iraq.
The new Iraqi government was officially formed after it received a vote of confidence in the Iraqi parliament on Monday. The new government, which includes Sunni, Kurdish and Shiites deputies, was approved by a vote of 177 - 280.
Armed groups linked to the IS militants have captured large amounts of territory in Iraq in recent months, forcing thousands of Iraqis including Turkmen, Arabs and Ezidis to flee.
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