Coalition of allies to back American mission against IS
Picture for representational purpose
Washington: The US will not hesitate to use military force where necessary to protect Americans, the White House has said, even as it refrained from going public about its operations in Syria and surveillance drones over it.
Meanwhile, a report in the New York Times says that the US has begun to mobilise a broad coalition of allies behind potential American military action in Syria and is moving toward expanded airstrikes in northern Iraq.
“What we have made clear that is the President, as a matter of policy, will not hesitate to use military force where necessary to protect Americans,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said.
The NYT report says that Australia may help the US conduct airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria.
Moreover, seven countries, including Italy, France and the UK, have joined the American effort to arm the Kurdish forces in northern Iraq against Islamic State. The report quoted unnamed Obama administration officials as saying that they believe that UK and Australia would be willing to actually join the US in mounting the air assault in Syria.
“In addition to support from the US and the central government of Iraq in Baghdad, seven additional nations — Albania, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom — have committed to helping provide Kurdish forces urgently needed arms and equipment,” US defence secretary Chuck Hagel said.
The officials said they also wanted help from Turkey, which has military bases that could be used to support an effort in Syria. The administrative officials have admitted that persuading countries to help the United States in a military campaign in Syria will require more effort.
However, Mr Earnest said that Mr Obama has made no decision about military action in Syria.
Scribe freed, I.S. holds U.S. woman:
An American journalist held for nearly two years by militants linked to Al-Qaeda in Syria returned to the US late on Tuesday, two days after Qatar negotiated his release, his family said. Peter Theo Curtis, 45, was reunited with his mother Nancy Curtis at Boston Logan International Airport after flying from Tel Aviv to Newark, New Jersey.
The Islamic State is holding hostage a young American woman who was doing humanitarian aid work in Syria.
( Source : agencies/afp )
Next Story
