Biden to Iraqi leaders: Time for new government

WASHINGTON  — Vice President Joe Biden is calling top Iraqi leaders to call for the formation of a new government and encourage their opposition to the Islamic State group.

Biden called Iraqi Kurdistan Regional President Masoud Barzani on Sunday night and Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Haider al-Abadi and Iraqi Council of Representatives Speaker Salim al-Jabouri on Monday.

Biden and al-Abadi discussed military action against Islamic State and the importance of forming a new government in the fight against the terror group that has seized large areas of Iraq and Syria.

The U.S. vice president and Barzani agreed on the importance of continuing the cooperation underway between the Kurdish peshmerga and the Iraqi security forces that helped retake the Mosul Dam.