U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Iraq Monday to discuss ways to restore Iraqi stability amid a violent takeover of Iraq's major cities by jihadist militants.

Kerry discussed the crisis with Iraqi leaders during what is the most tense period in the country since the U.S. withdrew troops in 2011, according to CNN.

Kerry met Monday with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's leader who is often blamed for the violence gripping the country.

Maliki's Shiite-majority government is accused of excluding Sunnis and Kurds, fomenting anti-government discontent. Kerry said that the leader should eschew "sectarian motivations" and make the government more inclusive and representative of all of Iraq's electorate.

Maliki's government is now losing power because of militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which is the militant jihadist group that began their violent takeover two weeks ago by seizing the city of Mosul.

Kerry told Iraq's speaker of parliament, Osama al-Nujayfi, that the U.S. is committed to helping the Iraqi people. An official from the U.S. State Department said that the purpose of Kerry's trip is to emphasize "our highest-level commitment to Iraq during this time of crisis."

"I'm here to convey to you President Obama's and the American people's commitment to help Iraq," Kerry told al-Nujayfi, according to CNN.

"The principal concern is the integrity of the country, its borders, its sovereignty," he said. "[ISIS] is a threat to all of us."

Kerry will also meet with Iraq's foreign minister during his trip, in addition to Sunni and Shiite leaders.

Kerry said he will also talk with Iraqi leaders about creating a new government "in line with the constitutional time line that they're on."

Maliki's office told Kerry that the situation "poses a threat" to the entire region, not just Iraq. Maliki also called on "the countries of the world, especially countries in the region to take it seriously."

Despite holding talks, ISIS is succeeding in seizing towns every few days. The militants have taken over at least 70 percent of Anbar province and are continuing their offensive throughout Baghdad's surrounding towns to complete their mission of creating an Islamic state in Syria and Iraq.

At least 71 prisoners and five police officers were killed Monday when militants attacked an Iraqi police convoy that was transferring inmates to a prison. Five militants were also killed in the attack.

While it is not yet clear if ISIS is behind the attack, Iraq's military is accusing the militant group of committing the violent assault.

"Hundreds of Iraqi soldiers have been beheaded and hung, and their bodies have been desecrated," said Iraq's military spokesman, Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta. "Why has the U.N. not decried these atrocious crimes, which are among the biggest crimes against humanity?"

Militants have also taken over Tal Afar airbase, which is located in northern Iraq, in addition to Rutba, a town in Anbar. ISIS also captured the city of Qaim Saturday, which is a city located along the Syrian border. The seizure of Qaim allows the militants to have a stronghold over a major trade route that leads outside of Baghdad.

According to CNN, witnesses also said that ISIS militants paraded around Mosul, the city they captured earlier this month, and announced through loudspeakers that they have decided to form Islamic Sharia courts in the city. The militants have begun imposing Sharia law in all of the towns it now controls. According to the Islamic law system, boys and girls must be separated at school, women must wear full veils called niqabs and music is banned.

The military denies losing a lot of ground to the militants, even though the militants have seized major cities. It is not clear if Iraqi forces can regain some of the areas that are now controlled by the fighters.

People trying to join Iraqi forces to fight against the militants are also at risk as at least four people were killed and 34 wounded in a shelling attack at a recruiting station in Hilla, a Shiite-dominated town.

The U.S. is sending in reinforcements to help the besieged Iraqi military this week. Three-hundred military advisers will travel to Iraq, but they will not be deployed all at once.

However, Obama has made it explicitly clear that there is no "military solution" to the problem and that it is up to Iraqi leaders to reach a compromise.