U.S. defence chief arrives in Iraq’s Arbil

The Turkish military responded to the attack on the camp – used to train Iraqi anti-jihadist fighters with Turkish help – with fire of their own, the CNN-Turk and NTV channels reported, citing military sources.

“This was an attempt by (Islamic State) to breach peshmerga defensive lines following significant losses in recent months”, it said.

One of the most powerful among them, Ketaeb Hezbollah, said on its TV channel Etejah that it was responsible for shelling the Turkish base near Bashiqa Wednesday.

Iraq asked the Security Council to condemn the “Turkish occupation” and demand that the troops leave immediately, but council diplomats said after the meeting that no decisions had been made.

According to Gutenev, Shoigu said that there is no quick end in sight for the Russian operation because extremist groups are getting new recruits and unspecified other nations fail to offer a strong contribution in the fight against terrorism.

The United States has said it is willing to deploy advisers and attack helicopters to help Iraq retake Ramadi, west of Baghdad.

The move came after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu last week sent foreign ministry under-secretary Feridun Sinirlioglu and intelligence chief Hakan Fidan to Baghdad to settle the tensions. Thousands of Shiite militiamen and supporters have joined rallies demanding Turkey’s full withdrawal, chanting, “No to occupation”.

Coalition aircraft carried out 11 strikes in Iraq on Wednesday, four of them in the area of the Anbar provincial capital Ramadi, which Baghdad’s forces are battling to retake from IS. But Abadi has resisted, arguing foreign forces aren’t needed to fight ISIL in Iraq.

The United States is looking for ways to do more to hasten the defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told service members on Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, yesterday.

Turkey is widely perceived in Iraq’s Shiite majority as complicit with IS, and Shiite militias have advocated using force against Turkish troops should they refuse to withdraw.

Stressing Washington’s commitment to close cooperation with both Iraq and Turkey in the fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), Biden urged Ankara to continue its dialogue with Baghdad.

In Iraq, U.S. officials have expressed frustration at how long it has taken Iraqi security forces to take back Ramadi.

President Obama has sent about 3,500 trainers and advisors to Iraq since mid-2014 to assist Iraqi and Kurdish forces.