Leader criticizes 'slowness' of coalition's military support

Iraq's Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi criticized on Sunday the "slowness" of providing military support to his army by the US-led international coalition against Islamic State extremists.

The IS group last year took control of large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria.

A US-led international coalition is conducting air raids against IS positions in both countries and is providing military support to Iraqi forces. "The international coalition is very slow in its support and training of the army" in Iraq, Abadi said at a meeting with journalists during a visit to Cairo.