Int'l coalition agrees to intensify campaign to defeat IS
Date
2/11/2016 6:31:34 PM
(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) BRUSSELS Feb 11 (KUNA) - The counter-Daesh (the Islamic State or IS) coalition countries agreed here Thursday as a matter of urgency to accelerate and intensify their campaign "in order to deliver a lasting defeat to this barbaric organization as quickly as possible." "We also recognized that recent battlefield successes provide an opportunity to gather additional momentum in our campaign as we enter the next phase of dismantling IS/Da'esh's operating capability throughout Iraq and Syria" said the coalition in a joint statement after its meeting in Brussels tonight.The coalition meeting held for the first time on the level of defence ministers underlined the importance "of collapsing its two power centers in Raqqah and Mosul and continuing to target its underlying infrastructure including its financial capability." They welcomed the Coalition Chiefs' of Defense Conference and the Coalition Force Generation Conference taking place in the next four weeks where these requirements will be explored in detail.US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter who hosted the meeting at NATO headquarters told a press conference that it was a "very successful and productive meeting." He said it was encouraging that several of the Arab Gulf state partners in the coalition said they are willing to intensify their efforts in the campaign against IS.Carter noted that the Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defence Minister Prince Mohammad bin Salman indicated that the Kingdom is ready to reinvigorate significantly its air campaign against IS.The US defense secretary said he discussed with Prince Mohammad the Kingdom's efforts in leading a collection Islamic nations in fight against violent extremism. The two discussed ways the Islamic anti-terrorism coalition can complement the counter-IS coalition."Saudi Arabia and the regional partners in the region have a clear stake in this" he stressed.He stated that 60 percent of the coalition's military networks have already decided to increase their contribution to the campaign.The defense ministers of Belgium Bahrain Canada Denmark Finland France Germany Hungary Iraq Italy Jordan Kuwait Morocco The Netherlands New Zealand Norway Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Saudi Arabia Slovenia Spain Sweden Turkey the United Arab Emirates the United Kingdom and the United States attended the meeting.They were joined by senior representatives from the three nations who provide or intend to provide forces or other support to the campaign Australia the Czech Republic and Singapore.Meanwhile NATO Secretary General Jens Stolenberg held separate meetings with the Saudi defence minister Mohammad bin Salman and Iraqi defence minister Khaled Al Obaidi at the sidelines of the meeting. (end) nk.ibi
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