Newport (UK): The United States urged Western allies at a Nato summit on Friday to unite in a coalition that could “destroy” Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. “There is no time to waste in building a broad international coalition to degrade and, ultimately, to destroy the threat posed by ISIL (sic),” secretary of state John Kerry and defence secretary Chuck Hagel said in a joint statement.
The remarks followed talks chaired by the United States and summit hosts Britain with defence and foreign ministers from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Turkey.
The US has conducted air strikes in northern Iraq in recent weeks, allowing Kurdish and Iraqi forces to regain ground lost against the jihadists. But Washinagton has sought support for a broader international effort at the Nato summit here in Newport, south Wales. The wider 28 nation military alliance is willing to help if there is a request from Baghdad, likely providing training and coordination with other countries’ efforts against IS, secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
