Iraq's leader welcomes Syrian airstrikes

(CNN) – Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki welcomed Syrian air strikes reaching deep into his country to target ISIS militants.

"We actually welcome any Syrian strike against Isis," al-Maliki told the BBC. "But we didn't make any request to Syria. They carry out their strikes, and we carry out ours, and the final winners are our two countries."

But the deadly risks were immediately clear: 57 Iraqi civilians killed in the Syrian air assault this week, and more than 120 others wounded.

Traveling in Iraq this week, Secretary of State John Kerry vowed intense and sustained support. With 90 American servicemen arriving Thursday, 220 American military advisers are now on the ground.

Though so far, the U.S. has avoided air strikes.

CNN's Jim Sciutto reports.