Six people have been detained in France on suspicion of recruiting candidates for jihad, a judicial source said Wednesday, as the number of French citizens travelling to Iraq and Syria increases.

Elite Iraqi troops backed by U.S. jets battled jihadists near Baghdad Wednesday as Washington devised a strategy for expanded operations against the Islamic State group.

President Barack Obama prepared to meet with U.S. commanders to decide how to turn the tide on the powerful and brutal extremist organization while keeping a promise not to drag America into another military quagmire.

Several residents from the northeastern border town of Arsal blocked on Wednesday the road after the army prevented the transfer of diesel and gasoline to the outskirts of the town.

According to the state-run National News Agency, the army prevented several men from moving the two substances to the outskirts of the village where gunmen are taking positions.

A Yemini-born U.S. man was indicted Tuesday for allegedly providing material support to the Islamic State by recruiting members for the jihadist group.

The top U.S. Republican said Tuesday he backed President Barack Obama's "sound" plan to arm and train vetted Syrian rebels for battling extremists and called on Congress to authorize the action.

Lawmakers began a marathon debate on the strategy, with many seeking a united front for the commander-in-chief's opening salvo against jihadists in Syria but adamant that Congress firm up its role in whether to authorize broader military action.

France's parliament on Tuesday approved a new anti-terror bill aimed at preventing potential jihadists from traveling to Iraq, Syria or elsewhere by confiscating their passports.

The travel ban on French nationals could be imposed "where there are serious reasons to believe that someone is planning to travel abroad to take part in terrorist activities, war crimes or crimes against humanity or in a theater of operations of terrorist groups and in conditions likely to jeopardize public security upon their return to French territory", according to the text.

A Saudi court Tuesday sentenced two men to death and 13 others to lengthy jail terms for killing a policeman and three civilians and forming an Al-Qaeda cell in prison.

The verdict was delivered by a court in Riyadh "specializing in terrorism cases," state news agency SPA reported.

The Iraqi parliament voted down Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi's nominees for defense and interior minister Tuesday, leaving the key positions unfilled as the country battles to regain ground from militants.

Parliament approved Abadi's partial cabinet on August 8, ushering in his term as premier, but he asked for a week to present nominees for several ministries, including the security posts.

Italy on Tuesday admitted paying ransoms to obtain the freedom of some hostages, saying it approached negotiations on a case-by-case basis.

"Cases vary," Deputy Foreign Minister Lapo Pistelli said on Italian radio, suggesting that a firm policy of not paying ransoms such as that of the United States was "a little mechanical".

The United States plans to strike the Islamic State group in its Syrian strongholds and could send military advisers into combat alongside Iraqi troops, American commanders said Tuesday.

Military leaders warned of a further escalation in their battle against the jihadists just as two branches of the rival Al-Qaeda group called for a united front against the war coalition Washington is building.