The US has negotiated support from ten Arab states to help them tackle the threat of the Islamic State (formerly ISIS) in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere.
The deal comes after talks led by US Secretary of State John Kerry in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, that also included Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Nato member Turkey was also represented at the discussions.
In a joint statement, the diplomats said that they discussed a strategy to destroy the Islamic State “wherever it is, including in both Iraq and Syria”.
The Islamic State currently controls large swathes of land in Syria and Iraq after making significant gains in recent months, seizing high powered weapons, and controlling Syrian oil fields for revenues.
Earlier, Russia warned the US against air strikes in Syria after US President Barack Obama made a televised address in which he said that the US and its allies would destroy the Islamic State “wherever they exist” and he will not hesitate to take action against Islamic State militants in Syria as well as Iraq.
