(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) In an Op-Ed published in Defense News, the US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, General John Allen, stressed that the group is not just threatening Iraq and Syria, or even the region - it is "an international problem and demands a sustained international response." After more than 1,200 strikes against ISIL targets in December alone, Allen said the group's "momentum has been halted and it is now constantly looking over its shoulder for the next attack." But while he noted that ISIL's capabilities have been rolled back militarily over the past four months, critical areas remain where the group must be weakened - namely funding and recruitment, he said on Tuesday.
Of the nations who have joined the US-led coalition without participating in the airstrikes, Allen affirmed they are in "leading roles to stop the flow of foreign terrorist fighters, to limit ISIL's financing, and to defeat ISIL where it can do incredible harm: in the virtual space and marketplace of ideas." He pointed to Kuwait as one of the "diverse" group of nations that "have helped to steer these efforts," and also lauded the international community's humanitarian response to the people fleeing ISIL's attacks.
"When millions of men, women and children have been displaced by ISIL's barbarism, dozens of nations have stepped up to make significant humanitarian contributions, and will continue to need to do so, in order for the region to regain stability and for innocent civilians affected by conflict to regain hope for the future," Allen wrote. He further highlighted the Iraqi government's cooperation in the fight against ISIL, noting that on December 3, at the first ministerial meeting convened on the issue, Baghdad "demonstrated its commitment to becoming a more proactive partner." "Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi updated the coalition on the unity government's efforts to take important steps to benefit all Iraqis, including efforts to implement significant judicial sector reforms, and to root out decay and corruption in Iraq's security apparatus," Allen wrote.
"Indeed, in recent weeks, Abadi removed two dozen generals and publicly disclosed the results of a government-sponsored investigation revealing thousands of ghost soldiers on the Iraqi military's rolls. And just days before we met in Brussels, Baghdad signed a critical oil deal with the Kurds on revenue management and oil exports." He added that "Iraq's continued progress toward reform and inclusiveness will be imperative to the coalition's success," as it fights what he described as an "intolerant and nihilistic group of terrorists." Defense News, which carried the Op-Ed, is a publication of the Gannett Company, which also owns USA Today.
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