Militants , who now number up to 300 , are ` ` increasingly capable , '' U.S. officials says . He rejected any notion that failure to intervene militarily in Iraq , or before that in the war in Syria -- where ISIS has gained much of its strength -- has led to the current crisis . `` ... You 've got to have a holistic , comprehensive approach , and the President is trying , as we are , I am , whether or not Iraq is prepared to be part of that , '' he said . Work for Baiji oil refinery continues , deputy prime minister for energy affairs says . John Kerry visits Irbil to speak with Kurdish leaders about the Iraq crisis . The U.S. is ` ` extraordinarily hampered '' without a new Iraqi government , he says .
Militants , who now number up to 300 , are ` ` increasingly capable , '' U.S. officials says . Work for Baiji oil refinery continues , deputy prime minister for energy affairs says . John Kerry visits Irbil to speak with Kurdish leaders about the Iraq crisis . The U.S. is ` ` extraordinarily hampered '' without a new Iraqi government , he says .