Macron warns against IS

French President Emmanuel Macron warned of the threat the Islamic State group poses ahead of an Iraqi summit Saturday overshadowed by the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan and a deadly bombing in Kabul.

Organisers have been tight-lipped on the agenda of the summit in Baghdad, but the meeting also comes as Iraq, long a casualty of jihadist militancy, tries to establish itself as a mediator between Arab countries and Iran.

“We all know that we must not lower our guard, because Daesh (IS) remains a threat, and I know that the fight against these terrorist groups is a priority of your government,” Macron said, after a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi in Baghdad.

Iraq and France “are key partners in the war against terrorism,” Kadhemi replied.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II are due at the summit, while the foreign ministers of regional foes Iran and Saudi Arabia will also be present.

The prime minster of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, as well as Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah are also expected to attend.

Iraq is seeking to play a “unifying role” to tackle crises shaking the region, sources close to Iraq’s Kadhemi have said.

Oil-rich Iraq has been caught for years in a delicate balancing act between its two main allies, Iran and the United States.

Iran exerts major clout in Iraq through allied armed groups within the Hashed al-Shaabi, a powerful state-sponsored paramilitary network.

Baghdad has been brokering talks since April between US ally Riyadh and Tehran on mending ties severed in 2016.

Macron aims to highlight France’s role in the region and its determination to press the fight against terrorism, his office said.

The French president considers Iraq “essential” to stability in the troubled Middle East, it added.