BAGHDAD — Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that neither the United States nor the rest of the world will stand by and watch the Islamic State militant group spread its evil.

Kerry was in Baghdad to meet with Iraq’s new leaders and pledge U.S. support for eliminating the extremist group and the threat it poses.

He said President Barack Obama would later outline Wednesday in specific detail what steps the U.S. is prepared to take to defeat the Islamic State, which has overrun parts of northern Iraq and Syria.

Kerry did not reveal Obama’s plans. But he predicted a coalition of at least 40 nations ultimately will eliminate the Islamic State.

With a new Iraqi government finally in place and a growing Mideast consensus on defeating insurgent threats, Kerry pressed Iraq’s Shiite leader to quickly deliver more power to wary Sunnis — or jeopardize any hope of defeating the Islamic State group.