U.S. strikes ISIS position in what appears to be closest airstrike to Baghdad so far in campaign

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- US. planes launched airstrikes against ISIS near Baghdad on Monday and Secretary of State John Kerry courted Middle Eastern leaders to join a coalition in the fight against the Islamist militants.

As world leaders struggled Monday to come up with strategies against ISIS just days after a high-profile beheading by the Islamist militants, the U.S. military targeted an ISIS position near Baghdad.

An airstrike southwest of the city appears to be the closest the U.S. airstrikes have come to the Iraqi capital since the start of the campaign against the Islamist militants, a senior U.S. military official said.

The strike was in support of Iraqi forces under attack, the official said.

Meanwhile, more than two dozen nations, the Arab League, the European Union and United Nations met in the French capital, calling ISIS a threat to the international community and agreeing to "ensure that the culprits are brought to justice."



In a statement at the conference's conclusion, the French government said the participants had agreed to take on ISIS "by any means necessary, including appropriate military assistance, in line with the needs expressed by the Iraqi authorities, in accordance with international law and without jeopardizing civilian security."

French President François Hollande, who hosted the conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Masum, said there was "no time to lose" in international efforts against ISIS.

Meanwhile, the leader of Iraq's Kurdistan region asked for intensified U.S. airstrikes, saying he would welcome foreign fighters and urging Iran and the United States to set aside their differences to fight ISIS.

Latest beheading

ISIS, which calls itself the Islamic State, underlined its barbaric credentials over the weekend -- posting a video showing the beheading of British aid worker David Haines and threatening the life of another hostage from the United Kingdom.

It was the third videotaped killing of a Western hostage released in less than a month.

The latest killing, ISIS said, was "a message to the allies of America" -- a direct challenge to the United States.

President Barack Obama announced last week that the United States would lead "a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat" and that U.S. airstrikes against ISIS would expand from Iraq into Syria.

The United States has said nearly 40 nations have agreed to contribute to the fight against ISIS, which has seized control of large areas of northern Iraq and Syria. But it remains unclear exactly which countries are on that list and what roles they'll play.

Britain won't 'shirk our responsibility'

Britain's role in the coalition is in particular focus after the killing of Haines, who was abducted last year near a Syrian refugee camp where he was working.

Haines' death "will not lead Britain to shirk our responsibility" to work with allies to take on ISIS, British Prime Minister David Cameron said Sunday. Instead, he said, "it must strengthen our resolve."

Cameron pledged to work with the United States to support its "direct military action." He also emphasized that "this is not about British troops on the ground."