Iraq's foreign minister says the government has "solid information and intelligence" about al-Qaida militants infiltrating Syria from Iraq to carry out attacks.

Hoshyar Zebari told reporters Thursday that authorities are worried about a spillover of violence from Syria to the rest of the Mideast.

He said Baghdad has for years warned Damascus about al-Qaida traffic between Iraq and Syria.

Zebari says a recent increase in violence in Iraq also could hurt foreign investment as the country tries to pull out of years of sectarian violence.

He blames a months-long political crisis in Iraq for the surge of deadly attacks over the last month.