Kerry meets Iraqi PM Abadi in Baghdad

US Secretary of State John Kerry has visited Iraq to purportedly show support for the country’s government grappling with a political crisis and battling the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group.

According to the reports, Kerry met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, and the prime minister of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, Nechirvan Barzani, on Friday.

Kerry told journalists in Baghdad on Friday that the US and Iraq will "turn up the pressure" on Daesh.

"In the coming weeks and months, the [US-led] coalition will work with Iraq to turn up the pressure even further. We will continue targeting and taking out [Daesh's] leaders, and we will train local forces to take and hold more ground," he said.

The trip will "underscore our strong support for the Iraqi government as it addresses significant security, economic, and political challenges," US State Department spokesman John Kirby said earlier on Friday.

SS