U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Egypt is an important partner in denouncing Islamic extremism during his talk with Egyptian leaders on Saturday to seek support for the international coalition that aims to beat the Islamic State (ISIL).

Kerry has been scouring the Middle East to shore up backing for the coalition against ISIL that has declared caliphate across Syria and parts of Iraq.

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His latest stop in Cairo has given the coalition broad assurances that lack public commitments, reported CNN.

Kerry met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Nabil el-Araby, Arab League's secretary general before speaking with foreign minister Sameh Shoukry.

During his visit, Kerry referred to Egypt as the frontline of the fight against ISIL and its extremist Islamic ideology.

The secretary of state told a news conference in Cairo that Egypt is the Muslim world's cultural and intellectual capital and as such, has the capacity to demonstrate moderation of ideology in the region.

Kerry spoke after his talk with the Egyptian leaders, but declined to elaborate on Egypt's main role in beating back ISIL.

He emphasized that ISIL's harsh ideology has nothing to do with Islam, citing that the leaders of the countries he has visited so far have denounced the group's extremist ideologies.

After the meeting, Shoukry echoed Kerry's statement. He noted that Egypt believes in the strong international efforts for suppressing the terrorism ISIL threatens to bring to the rest of the world. Shoukry, however, refrained to discuss in detail Egypt's contribution to the anti-ISIL coalition.

According to The New York Times, the members of the anti-ISIL coalition-which so far composes of nine NATO member countries and 10 Arab and Gulf nations including Saudi Arabia and Turkey-are assembled behind a U.S.-led campaign mainly to provide material and military contribution.

Egypt is not expected to provide military support, rather to influence public opinion against the extremist group, reported The New York Times.

TagsISIL, ISIS, John Kerry, anti-ISIL coalition, anti-ISIS offensive