Macron to Attend Baghdad Summit Amid Fears Over IS

BAGHDAD - French President Emmanuel Macron is among the leaders set to attend a regional summit Saturday in Iraq, with the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan and a deadly jihadist attack in Kabul overshadowing the meeting.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II also are to attend the Baghdad summit, while the foreign ministers of arch-foes Iran and Saudi Arabia will also be present. Organizers have been tight-lipped on the agenda, but the meeting comes as Iraq, long a casualty of jihadist militancy, tries to establish itself as a mediator between Arab countries and Iran. Iraq seeks to play a "unifying role" to tackle crises shaking the region, sources close to Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi have said.