Obama calls for anti-jihadist front as UK, France weigh strikes

BAGHDAD: US President Barack Obama called for an international front against jihadists in Iraq and Syria after they beheaded a second American reporter, as Britain and France weighed military action.

"We know that if we are joined by the international community, we can continue to shrink ISIL's sphere of influence, its effectiveness, its financing, its military capabilities," said Obama, referring to the Islamic State (IS).