US wants refugee zones in fight against IS

The US wants to set up refugee zones as part of its strategy to defeat al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

The United States will increase pressure on Islamic State and al-Qaeda and work to set up "interim zones of stability" to help refugees return home in the next phase of the battle to defeat the groups, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says.

Addressing top officials from an international coalition of 68 nations battling Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Tillerson on Wednesday did not elaborate on where the United States planned to set up these safety zones.

"The United States will increase our pressure on ISIS and al-Qaeda and will work to establish interim zones of stability, through ceasefires, to allow refugees to return home," he told the meeting at the State Department.