U.S., Turkish presidents discuss battle against Islamic State

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) U.S. PresidentBarack Obamaon Thursday discussed with his Turkish counterpart joint efforts to combat the Islamic State militant group that has seized vast swaths of territory in bothSyriaandIraq.

In a phone conversation with Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his way back to Washington D.C. from UN meetings held in New York, Obama discussed “our work together” to counter the threat posed by the group in Iraq and Syria, “including steps we can take to advance our already strong cooperation,” theWhite Housesaid in a statement.

Washington is leading airstrikes on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, while Turkey, a NATO member that borders both countries, is not joining the military effort.

Erdogan indicated Tuesday that his country could provide military or logistical support, a shift that came after the Islamic State freed 46 Turkish nationals who were held hostage on June 11 when the group overrun Turkey’s consulate general in Mosul in northern Iraq.

The advances by fighters from the Islamic State in northern Syria in recent days have created a massive exodus of refugees into Turkey.

Obama and Erdogan agreed to continue close consultations following a meeting between Vice President Joseph Biden and the Turkish leader Thursday, the White House said.