http://thehill.com/policy/defense/216768-kerry-hagel-coalition-forming-to-destroy-isisKerry, Hagel: Coalition forming to ‘destroy’ ISIS
By Kristina Wong - 09/05/14 10:29 AM EDT
The Obama administration on Friday said that a coalition of nations was forming to go after the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), citing progress after talks at the NATO summit in Wales.
"This morning we had a meeting with some of our key allies and partners on the serious threat that ISIL poses to Iraq, the entire region, and the international community," said Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in a statement, using an alternate name for the terror group.
"We and the ministers agreed here today that there is no time to waste in building a broad international coalition to degrade and, ultimately, to destroy the threat posed by ISIL," they added.
A State Department spokesperson said that the talks included representatives from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
The partners outlined elements of what a broad coalition would do, including providing military support to Iraq, stopping the flow of foreign fighters, countering ISIS's funding and propaganda, and addressing the refugee crisis sparked by the fighting.
The statement omitted any mention of military action, such as airstrikes, or the possibility of training and equipping moderate Syrian rebels. U.S. officials, though, have said that those options remain under consideration.
"We discussed each of these lines of effort today, and how to build on the contributions that many NATO allies and partners are already making in Iraq," said Kerry and Hagel.
They said the ministers agreed to engage new Iraqi leaders in hopes of accelerating the formation of a unity government, more inclusive of the country’s Sunni minority, and to determine the military support needed to fight ISIS.
They also discussed further cooperation to address "the humanitarian crisis in Iraq," noting that work with France, Australia, and the United Kingdom to deliver relief supplies to citizens of Amerli, a city in northern Iraq besieged by ISIS fighters.
Ministers noted a recently-enacted United Nations resolution, which called on members to stop the flow of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria and act against ISIS's financing and propaganda.
The allies will form a task force to share information about the flow of foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria, Kerry and Hagel said.
The two cautioned that the effort to "degrade and destroy the threat posed by ISIL will take time and persistence."
In remarks to reporters after the meeting, Kerry said he hoped to hear clear commitments from each of those nations on what they would be willing to contribute before the U.N. General Assembly in New York in two weeks.
The two officials are set to travel to Turkey next.
"Our NATO allies and partners today have confirmed their readiness to be a full part of this coordinated approach, and over the coming days, we will continue the discussion with our partners in the region, who have an important role to play across these lines of effort," they said.
