(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Iraq's President Fuad Masum thanked Vice President Joe Biden "for his continued support" during a phone call Monday, as Biden expressed "desire to boost coordination with a new Iraqi government and Iraqi Security Forces," to curb gains by ISIL.
According to a White House readout of the call, the two leaders discussed "the ongoing government formation process in Baghdad" and the US "full support for (Masum's) role as guarantor of the Iraqi Constitution." The readout said Masum also discussed "the nomination of Haider Al-Abadi to be the next prime minister" and Biden "commended Masum for meeting this key milestone." Biden also "reiterated President (Barack) Obama's repeated calls for the timely creation of a new, more inclusive government that will be able to address the legitimate concerns of all Iraqis," said the White House.
Meanwhile, the US military continued its airstrikes in northern Iraq late Sunday, targeting vehicles and facilities run by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
On Monday, a statement released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which operates several military bases in the region, said its forces "successfully conduct an airstrike to defend Kurdish forces near Irbil, where US personnel and citizens are located.
"Multiple US fighter aircraft struck and destroyed several vehicles that were part of an ISIL convoy moving to attack Pershmerga forces defending Irbil," said the statement, adding that "all aircraft exited the strike area safely." Earlier on Sunday, before dawn, the US "struck and destroyed an ISIL armed truck that was firing on Kurdish forces located in the approaches to Irbil," CENTCOM confirmed. "After the strike, US forces monitored the movement of a second ISIL armed truck away from the vicinity of the strike, subsequently striking and destroying it." At around 3:40 a.m. local time, "US aircraft struck and destroyed an ISIL mortar position, destroying it and damaging a nearby ISIL armed truck," said CENTCOM.
Two hours later, an aircraft hit another truck, destroying it, and then targeted another vehicle at approximately 7:25 a.m. local time and damaged it.
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