KUWAIT CITY

The eighth meeting of top military commanders from members of a 29-country coalition forged to combat the Daesh militant group kicked off Monday in Kuwait City.

"We want to accelerate international efforts to eliminate all terrorist groups that constitute a threat to the world," Mohammed Khaled al-Khadher, chief-of- staff of Kuwait’s armed forces, said in a keynote speech.

Stressing the need for a contingency plan for eliminating these groups, al-Khadher said the meeting in Kuwait was of "great importance", as the region -- and world -- continued to face the scourge of terrorism.

"We must stand shoulder-to-shoulder to cope with this challenge," the army commander declared, going on to assert that Daesh had nothing in common with the Islamic faith.

Attended by representatives of the coalition’s 29 members, the two-day meeting is aimed at improving coordination between participating states.

Previous meetings of anti-Daesh coalition military commanders have been held in France, Germany, the U.S., Spain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.