Biden pledges support to Iraq in fight against al-Qaeda

Iraqi federal policemen search a car at a checkpoint in Baghdad, Iraq, on Thursday. The Iraqi government has tightened its security measures after the Justice Ministry said on Tuesday that Iraq hanged 26 prisoners convicted of terrorism-related charges, all of them Iraqi nationals.

Thee United States continues to support Iraq in its fight against al-Qaeda—linked militants, Vice-President Joe Biden has said.

The White House said Biden spoke by telephone on Sunday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al—Maliki.

Bombings

Car bombings and shootings killed 13 people across Iraq on Sunday, and clashes between security forces and al-Qaeda—linked militants continued in the contested western province of Anbar. Iraq’s al—Qaeda branch, known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, has taken over parts of Anbar Province’s capital Ramadi and controls the center of the nearby city of Fallujah.

Biden commended al—Maliki’s government for its efforts to integrate tribal forces fighting al—Qaeda into Iraqi security forces, and to provide compensation for those injured and killed fighting the militants.