Kerry says U.S. will extend help to Iraq, but won't send in troops

United States Secretary John Kerry has said America will help the Iraqi government in its battle against al Qaeda-linked fighters, but denied of sending troops.

Kerry said that the U.S. is not contemplating a return to the volatile nation, where its military forces fought insurgents for years until they withdrew at the end of 2011, CNN reports.

He reiterated that the U.S. plans to be in close contact with all of the Iraqi political leaders to determine how to help them.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his Shiite-dominated government are facing a serious challenge in the predominantly Sunni Anbar province, raising questions about his ability to hold the country together amid a rising insurgency.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), formerly the group commonly known as al Qaeda in Iraq, had taken the western Iraqi city Falluja under partial control on Saturday following a chaotic three way war between local tribes, the Iraqi security forces and al-Qaeda militants.