Russia joins the coalition against the ISIS death cult

In the central Syrian Desert, 235 km north east of Damascus; Palmyra is one of the great sites of the ancient world. More

Russia is to supply weapons to Iraq to help the country in its struggle against the militant Muslim terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS), Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says.

Speaking ahead of talks in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, Lavrov pledged Russian support in Baghdad's battle against the militant group, which only days earlier seized the strategically vital city of Ramadi, about 70 miles west of the capital.

The victory was a significant setback in Iraq's fight against ISIS, in which they have been backed by air strikes from a US led coalition.

"We understand that the threat of terrorism is enveloping not just Iraq but the neighbouring countries," Abadi told reporters at a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, reports AFP.

As well as Ramadi, the ISIS death cult has captured the important ancient Syrian site of Palmyra and is likely to destroy it.  More