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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday (September 10) as he began a tour of the Middle East to build military, political and financial support to defeat Islamic State militants controlling parts of Iraq and Syria.

Kerry on Monday (September 8)hailed the formation of a new, more inclusive, Iraqi government under Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi as a "major milestone", and Washington had said it was vital before there could be further U.S. action to help push back the militants, who took over large parts of northern Iraq this year.

Kerry flew to Baghdad from Jordan, the first stop on the tour that will include Saudi Arabia and probably other Arab capitals.

Last week nine countries, most of them in Europe, were named as the core group of a coalition President Barack Obama says will degrade and destroy Islamic State, which has declared a caliphate in the land it took over and executed many prisoners, includ