British foreign secretary in Baghdad for talks

British Foreign Secretary William Hague arrived in Iraq's capital Baghdad in a surprise visit Thursday for talks with Iraqi leaders, media reported.

Hague is expected to meet top Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, to discuss bilateral ties and the political and security developments in the country, Xinhua reported citing state-run Iraqiya channel.

The visit of the top British diplomat came amid worsening security conditions that began less than two weeks ago when armed Sunni insurgents, spearheaded by the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), an Al Qaeda splinter group, launched a surprise offensive that led to the debacle of Iraqi security forces and loss of a large part of the country's northern and western territories.