(VOVworld)-  Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Monday warned that attacks by Sunni insurgents from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) represent a threat not only to Iraq but to regional and world peace. Al-Maliki met Monday with visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry. According to a statement released by Al-Maliki’s office, the Iraqi Prime Minister is asking the international community, especially countries in the region, to help deal with the threat. Kerry reiterated the US commitment to defending Iraq’s security and independence, and supporting its fight against terrorism. Kerry agreed that the ISIL group is a threat to the region and the world.  The same day, a security spokesman said hundreds of Iraqi soldiers have been killed by rebels in a large-scale attack to gain control of key areas in Iraq. Meanwhile, intelligence sources in Iraq and Jordan reported that Sunni Muslim tribes now control a major border gate with Jordan in the western province of Anbar. Gunmen also captured the border post of al-Waleed, on the Syrian frontier.