Iraqi lawmakers have approved a new government. Shiite Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi will share power with two deputy prime ministers — one Sunni and one Kurdish. The key posts of defense minister and interior minister have not yet been filled. Speaking on Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry hailed the new parliament as a necessary step in the fight against militants with the Islamic State, or ISIS.
Secretary of State John Kerry: “Tonight, Iraq has a unity government. Tomorrow, I will travel to the Middle East to continue to build the broadest possible coalition of partners around the globe to confront, degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL. On Wednesday, President Obama will lay out in even greater detail our coordinated global strategy against ISIL.”
On Monday, the U.S. military said its latest round of airstrikes in Iraq near the Haditha Dam killed 50 to 70 Islamic State fighters.