Carter hosted the meeting, the third of its kind, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for the representatives of more than 30 nations from the coalition and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to discuss the ongoing military campaign against ISIL and plans for upcoming offensives.
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British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said more must be done to ensure that residents will be able and willing to return to the Iraqi cities.
Carter also said that some nations have agreed to step up their contributions to the fight, as battles for the key cities of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria loom.
“We have now have momentum in this fight and clear results on the ground”, said Secretary of Defense Ash Carter from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on Wednesday.
The US provides air support and training to the Iraqi Army and Kurdish forces in both Iraq and Syria, which have afflicted substantial territorial setbacks against ISIS this year.
There, in the coming months, commanders hope to defeat the IS “caliphate” – its heartland territory – but they admit its broader network will be harder to crack.
UAE Minister of State for Defence Affairs Mohammed Al Bowardi and Minister Payne discussed defence engagement and the shared commitment to defeating Daesh.
For the United States, President Barack Obama chose to deploy another 560 troops to support the Iraqi security forces in their offensive to retake Mosul.
The coalition, and in particular its U.S. leadership, are keen to seize back the narrative and emphasise what they see as progress on the main battlefield.
But Carter said most of the conversation during the defense ministers’ meeting was not about the movement of forces, which was planned a long time ago and is going well.
“Information sharing has always been a big part of what the coalition does and it is playing a key role in our effort to prevent foreign terrorist fighters from traveling to Syria and Iraq, but it is also clear now that we have to do more”, he said.
“We will, as we’ve done with our coalition partners, we will look to add additional capabilities that are necessary for us to accomplish our objectives”, Votel said.
Washington has also announced that it will send 560 more USA troops to Iraq to help the government fight IS and recapture Mosul.
On Thursday, Kerry will host a joint meeting of defense and foreign ministers in the counter-IS coalition.
Turkey is home to Incirlik Air Base, which houses US refueling aircraft and attack aircraft used in the counter-IS fight.
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He also said that some nations have agreed to step up their contributions to the fight, as battles for the key cities of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria loom.
