Iraqi leader asks US for more air power, weaponry

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Tuesday that his army is taking the offensive against the Islamic State group but needs more air power and heavy weaponry to prevail.

Hagel, who flew to Baghdad to get a first-hand report on progress against the Islamic State militants, was holding a series of meetings with top Iraqi government officials and conferring with American military commanders.

U.S. officials assert that the Iraqis' biggest need is competent military leadership, not additional military hardware.