REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WASHINGTON -- US Vice President Joe Biden hailed the nomination of a new Iraqi prime minister as a "key milestone" on Monday and offered US help in rolling back gains by Islamic militants, the White House said.

Biden made the offer in a call to Iraqi President Fuad Masum, who had earlier asked Haidar al-Abadi to form a new government, replacing that of incumbent premier Nuri al-Maliki.

The White House said Biden "commended Masum for meeting this key milestone and reiterated President Obama's repeated calls for the timely creation of a new, more inclusive government that will be able to address the legitimate concerns of all Iraqis."

Biden "also emphasized President Obama's desire to boost coordination with a new Iraqi government and Iraqi security forces to roll back gains by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant."

Masum acted over the objections of Maliki, who gave a defiant televised speech at midnight suggesting he would fight to the end to keep his job.

The United States has expressed alarm over the rapid gains made by Islamic State militants since a lightning offensive in June that left Mosul and much of the Sunni heartland under the control of the extremists.

Last week, IS forces pushed into Kurdistan, spurring US President Barrack Obama to order air strikes to protect Arbil, the capital, and call for a change in government in Baghdad to confront the threat.

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