Airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and Syria have killed more than 6,400 Islamic State fighters in the past three months, and the militant group is showing the effect of the losses, according to coalition military statistics.
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Carter mentioned in an interview with CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that “We can do a lot ourselves …”
Separately, Colonel Steve Warren, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the US-led anti-IS coalition, on Wednesday said nine strikes in Iraq and Syria in recent months had led to the destruction of “tens of millions” of dollars in IS cash, much of it derived from illicit oil sales.
IS (also known as Isis, Isil or Daesh) has announced that due to “exceptional circumstances” it would be halving its fighters’ pay, Sky News reported.
“We need to destroy them in those two places, and I’d like to get on with that as soon as possible”, Carter stressed.
“Because of the exceptional circumstances that the Islamic State is passing through, a decision was taken to cut the salaries of the mujahedeen in half”, the Arabic statement said.
“Turkey occupies a key position in the coalition – it is hosting aircraft and making other contributions”, Carter told reporters in Paris, where he has been meeting defense ministers from several countries involved in the anti-IS coalition.
Seven defence ministers have met with just one ultimate objective: defeating the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on January 20 that the Russians “are on the wrong track strategically and also in some cases tactically”.
But US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter is confident about the outlined strategy to wipe out IS strongholds in Iraq and Syria and limit its spread.
The U.S. has forged a closer military and intelligence relationship with France, particularly after the attacks in Paris past year.
On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated Russia’s commitment to fighting jihadist militants in Syria, saying the fight against IS and the Al-Nusra Front would go on until their complete annihilation.
Even as allies discussed the way forward against IS, it’s clear that the heart of the “further accelerated” version of the anti-IS campaign consists largely of more United States troops, for training Iraqi forces and for conducting targeted strikes both from the air and on the ground.
The US defense official added there is a need for a greater Arab role was a focus of discussions and held out hope that Saudi Arabia would attend next month’s talks in Brussels.
“Now is the moment to increase our collective efforts and implement a coherent collective strategy”, Le Drian said.
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The Obama administration ended its $500 million program training and equipping moderate Syrian rebels in October, recognizing that the program failed to produce successful ground forces to combat Islamic State militants.
