WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday discussed with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on how to coordinate on fighting Islamic militants who pose a threat to Iraq and the region.
In a phone talk, Obama thanked Abbott for Australia's contributions to humanitarian air drops in northern Iraq and logistics support of resupply missions, the White House said in a statement.
"The two leaders discussed the need to continue addressing both the ongoing humanitarian situation as well as the threat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) poses to Iraq and the broader region," it said.
Obama "underscored that the United States will continue to coordinate closely with Australia on ISIL and other national security priorities," it added.
The phone talk was held at a time when Obama is trying to bring together an international coalition to fight the ISIL or the Islamic State(IS), which has made big advances in the past months in Iraq.
U.S. warplanes have bombed ISIL targets in northern Iraq since Aug. 8, and Obama is scheduled to make a speech on Wednesday to outline his plan on how to "degrade and ultimately defeat" the radical group.
Obama also held separate phone talks Monday with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as part of his intensified efforts to form a broad coalition to counter the threat posed by the IS.
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