Kerry to attend counter-IS meeting in London

WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to London next week to attend a foreign ministers' meeting on fighting the Islamic State (IS), the State Department announced Sunday.

Kerry will be in London on Jan. 22 "to consult with the United Kingdom and other Counter-ISIL Coalition partners on our shared efforts to degrade and defeat ISIL," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement, referring to the extremist organization by its former acronym.

Kerry will also hold talks with his British counterpart, Philip Hammond, who will co-host the meeting, Psaki added.

About 20 foreign ministers from the US-led coalition are expected to attend the London meeting to discuss progress made so far in fighting IS militants, who have taken over large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.

The top US diplomat's trip to London follows the visit to Washington last Friday by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who held a summit with US President Barack Obama on a range of issues, including counter-terrorism, world economy, cybersecurity, Iran, Ebola and Russia.

Obama and Cameron pledged to continue close cooperation on fighting terrorism, including working together to boost cybersecurity and thwart terror groups' efforts to radicalize people on social media and the Internet.

The summit was held after a wave of terror attacks that have struck Paris, France, and killed 17 people since Jan 7.

Following his visit to London, Kerry will then travel to Davos, Switzerland, and deliver remarks at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Jan. 23, Psaki added.

About 2,500 participants from more than 140 countries representing governments, international organizations, businesses, academia, civil society and the media are expected to attend this year's WEF meeting, scheduled for Jan. 21-24.

They will explore solutions to major global challenges under the theme "The New Global Context."