defence ministers meet in paris
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

On anti-Daesh fight

Defence ministers meet in Paris

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Defence ministers meet in Paris

A French Rafale fighter lands aboard the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier on November 23
Paris - Arab Today

The defence ministers of seven countries leading the battle against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria will meet in Paris on Wednesday to review their strategy and boost their resources.

Co-hosted by the French and US defence ministers, Jean-Yves Le Drian and Ash Carter, the meeting will be attended by their Australian, British, Dutch, German and Italian counterparts.

British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the meeting would look at ways to "capitalise on the setbacks that Daesh (an alternative name for IS) has suffered in Iraq and tighten the noose around the head of the snake in Syria."

The seven countries have taken the lead in the air campaign against IS and the training of Iraqi forces to fight the jihadists.

Russia, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has not been invited, though US Secretary of State John Kerry will discuss Syria with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Geneva on Wednesday.

Moscow's air campaign, which it claims is targeted against IS, has been criticised for focusing on the moderate opposition to Assad.

"I'm increasingly disturbed by the Russian bombing," Fallon told reporters in Paris.  

"We've had estimates of several hundred civilians killed now through the use of unguided munitions in civilian areas, clearly aimed at opposition groups that are fighting Assad, and that I deplore," he added.

A French defence source said the ministers would look at ways to "up the tempo" of the air campaign, which began in 2014, adding that he hoped the meeting would become a regular event.
IS has seen some setbacks, losing around a quarter of its self-proclaimed caliphate, including the Iraqi city of Ramadi to US-backed local forces last month.

The US this week claimed to have leaked IS documents, showing the group had cut fighters' pay by half since the coalition stepped up bombing of oil production, a key source of revenue for the group.

- A lack of ground forces -

But the coalition faces major challenges, particularly the lack of ground forces willing to fight IS in Syria, since most groups are focused on toppling Assad. 

"The sooner the civil war is brought to an end the better, and then we can all focus on the enemy that is Daesh," said Fallon. 

"That is going to take time, we don't have what's available in Iraq. We don't have a New Model Army standing around the walls of Raqa waiting to move in. But that shouldn't delay us in doing what we can from the air."

Carter has repeatedly urged other countries in the approximately 60-member coalition to step up their participation, particularly Arab and Gulf countries that are more focused on fighting Iran-backed forces in Yemen.

In a rare admission, the French army's operations chief, General Didier Castre, recently recognised that the coalition's military strategy was having trouble "producing speedy results".
S is spreading worldwide, notably in Libya, where political chaos has allowed the group to build a 3,000-strong force.

Libya will be discussed at Wednesday's meeting, but no concrete proposals are on the table, a US military source said.

US, Australian and French instructors have already trained 15,000 Iraqi soldiers, notably against improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and vehicle suicide attacks that are the IS weapons of choice.

But Western forces remain reluctant to get too deeply involved, fearing a repeat of the quagmire of previous campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Australia has already ruled out any increase to its military contribution, and Canada was pointedly absent from Wednesday's meeting after its new government said it would pull out of the bombing campaign. 

UN-brokered Syrian peace talks including Moscow are tentatively set for next Monday in Geneva, but the main parties have yet to agree on who will represent the Syrian opposition.

Source: AFP

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

defence ministers meet in paris defence ministers meet in paris

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

defence ministers meet in paris defence ministers meet in paris

 



GMT 21:52 2017 Thursday ,19 October

Israeli forces arrest 7 Palestinians in West Bank

GMT 15:41 2017 Wednesday ,04 October

Putin warns against double standards in war on terror

GMT 23:42 2017 Monday ,18 September

Mattis 'shocked' by low level of US military readiness

GMT 17:36 2017 Saturday ,14 October

What's at stake for business in Iran's nuclear deal

GMT 14:14 2017 Saturday ,11 February

Ghada Adel praises participation with Adel Imam

GMT 21:00 2017 Thursday ,05 October

Scores of settlers storm into Al Aqsa

GMT 11:56 2017 Wednesday ,29 November

Iraqis throng to Picasso in Baghdad

GMT 05:43 2018 Wednesday ,12 September

"Ala" Syria determined to liberate Idleb from terrorism

GMT 19:47 2018 Thursday ,18 January

Sultan Al Qasimi launches Sharjah real estate projects

GMT 10:58 2017 Thursday ,20 April

Kabbara meets Saudi counterpart, IMO chief in Cairo

GMT 00:10 2017 Tuesday ,10 October

Turkey calls for new round of Syria talks in Geneva

GMT 00:29 2017 Tuesday ,24 October

HM King congratulates UN secretary-general

GMT 10:42 2017 Monday ,22 May

Egypt refers 48 IS suspects to military court
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday