WASHINGTON, October 18 (RIA Novosti) - The US Department of State congratulated the Iraqi people with the formation of a new government Saturday, calling it an important step in the long campaign against Islamic State (IS).
"We congratulate the Iraqi people and their elected representatives in the Iraqi parliament on the selection of seven new cabinet ministers today," Jen Psaki, the department's spokesperson, said in a statement.
"Today's vote is another important step in the long-term campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant [ISIL] and restore stability to Iraq," Psaki continued.
The spokesperson added that the United States looks forward to further strengthening the partnership with Prime Minister Haider Abadi.
The recently appointed Shia Prime Minister, Haider Abadi, released a statement in September pledging to work with all Iraqi communities following the forced resignation of former prime minister Nouri Maliki in August.
Meanwhile, fighting is ongoing between the IS and Iraqi government forces, assisted by the US-led coalition, in Anbar province.
The IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), is a Sunni Islamist group that has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. The group expanded its attack to in Iraq in June 2014, seizing vast areas in both countries and announcing the establishment of an Islamic caliphate on the territories under its control. A US-led coalition is currently carrying out airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria.
