Nouri Maliki: 'We welcome any Syrian strike against Isis'

Prime Minister Nouri Maliki of Iraq has told the BBC he supports an air strike on Islamist militants at a border crossing between Iraq and Syria.

Mr Maliki also said the militants' advance could have been avoided if US jets had been delivered more quickly.

Isis and its Sunni Muslim allies seized large parts of Iraq this month.

Iraq has been receiving support from Iran, with whom its Shia Muslim leaders have close links.

Speaking to the BBC's Arabic service in his first interview for an international broadcaster since the crisis started, Mr Maliki said that Iraq had bought 36 American jet fighters, but that the process had been "slow and very long-winded".

"I'll be frank and say that we were deluded when we signed the contract. We should have sought to buy other jet fighters like British, French and Russian to secure the air cover for our forces; if we had air cover we would have averted what had happened," he went on.

He said Iraq was acquiring "second-hand jet fighters from Russia that should arrive in Iraq in two or three days".

"God willing, within one week this force will be effective and will destroy the terrorists' dens," he said.