Ruling alliance, Shi'ite militias urge PM to request Russian strikes on Islamic State

Iraq's ruling alliance and powerful Shi'ite militias have urged Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to request Russian airstrikes on Islamic State militants, who control large parts of the country, members of the coalition and militias told Reuters.

America's top general, Joseph Dunford, said on a trip to Baghdad on Tuesday that the United States won assurances from Iraq that it would not seek such Russian airstrikes against Islamic State.