Iraqi PM meets US official for talks

Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has warned against the “growth of extremism and terrorism” in the country during talks with US officials in Baghdad. The prime minister has stressed the “necessary” importance of military and security cooperation between Baghdad and Washington in the face of region-wide threats to stability. “The prime minister received the central command chief for the American forces, General Austin, who is currently visiting Baghdad,” his office said in a statement on Wednesday. Both leaders reportedly discussed the Syrian crisis with Baghad and Washington’s views on a solution “close,” the statement added.