Syria says ready to work with world to 'fight terrorism'

Syria is ready to work with the international community, including the United States, to combat "terrorism" within the framework of a UN resolution on extremists, Syria's foreign minister said today.

"Syria is ready for cooperation and coordination at the regional and international level to fight terrorism and implement UN Security Council resolution 2170," Walid Muallem said.

The statement comes a day after jihadists in Syria won a bloody battle for the Tabqa military airport, the last stronghold of the Damascus regime in the northern province of Raqa, a monitoring group and state media said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 346 jihadists and almost 200 Syrian troops had been killed in the six-day battle for the airport.

The victory gives the IS jihadists full control of Raqa, the heartland of the "caliphate" they have declared in contiguous territory larger than the size of Britain they have seized in Iraq and Syria.

Western powers fear the caliphate, a successor state to historic Muslim empires, could become a launchpad for a new round of global terror attacks.

The fears were exacerbated by grisly IS beheading of American journalist James Foley who was abducted in Syria.

In a video released online, a masked black-clad militant said Foley was killed in revenge for US air strikes against IS.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari yesterday urged greater support from the international community against the militants.

Iraq "needs help and support from everybody... all the forces against terrorism," Zebari said.

Washington has ramped up its rhetoric following the beheading, calling it "a terrorist attack against our country" and said operations against the group in Syria may also be necessary.