May 04, 2016•Update: May 07, 2016
STUTTGART, Germany
Leading international coalition members have agreed to increase their military contribution in the fight against Daesh, U.S. defense chief said Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference at the headquarters of the U.S. European Command in the German city of Stuttgart after high-level talks with key coalition members, American Defense Secretary Ash Carter promised more support to local groups fighting Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
“We agreed today that we will continue, all of us, to do more to accelerate ISIL [Daesh]’s lasting defeat,” he said.
“We also agreed that all of our friends and allies across the counter-ISIL [Daesh] coalition can and must do more as well,” he added.
The meeting at the headquarters of the U.S. European Command brought together defense chiefs of 12 countries, which make the largest military contributions in the fight against Daesh.
Carter said the coalition will provide more firepower, sustainment and logistical support to local partners in the near future, to enable them to collapse Daesh’s control of regions in the north of Raqqa in Syria, and Mosul in Iraq.
He particularly highlighted the need to put an end to Daesh’s control in the key Syrian town of Manbij.
“We talked about the importance of the Manbij area and closing off that area to ISIL [Daesh], especially given the flow of foreign fighters through there and the potential for external plots against our nations and other members of the coalition arising from there,” he said.
Carter said the U.S. has already decided to increase its military personnel in Syria from 50 to 300, and said this personnel, including members of its special forces, will mainly provide training and advice for the local forces there fighting Daesh.
He underlined that the coalition’s stronger engagement in the fight against Daesh would not be without any risk.
“This fight is far from over. And there are great risks. We were reminded of this yesterday,” he said, referring to the death of a U.S. Navy Seal in northern Iraq in a battle with Daesh.
“These risks will continue. We greatly regret his loss. But allowing ISIL [Daesh] safe haven would carry greater risk for us all,” he added.
"This is gonna be a hard but it is a necessary fight."
