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UP FRONTFriday 12 February 2016
Pentagon chief predicting ‘tangible gains’ in Iraq, Syria
U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, center right, waits for the start of a Counter-ISIL Coalition ROBERT BURNS that countries not answer-
Ministerial meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. At left is British AP National Security Writer ing his call to do more may
Secretary of State for Defense Michael Fallon, and second left is NATO Secretary General Jens BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. De- regret their choice when
Stoltenberg. fense Secretary Ash Carter the struggle is over.
predicted on Thursday that “We will all look back after
(AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) recent U.S.-led efforts to ac- victory and remember who
celerate the fight against participated in the fight,”
the Islamic State group he said.
would produce “tangible In Munich, Germany, U.S.
gains” in Iraq and Syria Secretary of State John
by March, even as coali- Kerry was trying on Thurs-
tion partners pledged to day to find a way to halt
expand and deepen their what amounts to a paral-
military contributions. lel war in Syria. Five years of
Carter said defense min- civil war have pitted Presi-
isters from more than two dent Bashar Assad’s gov-
dozen countries gave a ernment, backed by Russia
“broad endorsement” of and Iran, against an array
a refinedU.S. plan for de- of weakened opposition
feating the militants. After groups, some supported by
a meeting at NATO head- the United States.
quarters, Carter told re- During the coalition meet-
porters that nearly all par- ing, Carter laid out details
ticipants either promised of the U.S. plan and asked
new military commitments coalition partners to in-
or said their governments crease or broaden their
would consider new contri- assistance, either militarily
butions. “I’m very pleased or in other ways such as fi-
that so many nations have nancial contributions. He
stepped up and answered said the U.S. military, act-
the call, even in recent ing on instructions by Presi-
days,” Carter said. “But dent Barack Obama last
my challenge to coalition October, is accelerating
members to accelerate military efforts, which have
our military campaign will shown positive results with
not end today, any more the recent recapture of the
than America’s resolve to Iraqi city of Ramadi in An-
lead and make more con- bar province. Carter said
tributions itself will end to- coalition military chiefs,
day. It will continue.” including U.S. Joint Chiefs
Carter offered few de- Chairman Gen. Joseph
tails on what the “tangible Dunford, would meet soon
gains” might look like. He to discuss and evaluate
suggested some would in- the campaign, and that in
volve attacks on Islamic mid-March the U.S. Central
State financing and propa- Command headquarters
ganda messaging, as well in Florida would convene a
as bolstering Iraqi forces for military conference to as-
the planned battle to take sess progress. “By then, at
back Mosul in the north. the latest, we should begin
He said that 60 percent to see tangible gains from
of the coalition members those additional capabili-
have increased their con- ties, from the ones the co-
tributions, and another alition is already bringing to
one-third said they will seek bear,” Carter said.
authority from their govern- Carter said the U.S. is de-
ments to do more. termined to accelerate the
In public remarks at the war campaign and recap-
start of the meeting with ture as soon as possible the
coalition members, Carter Islamic State group’s main
cast the talks as an historic strongholds — Raqqa in
effort to hasten the demise Syria and Mosul in Iraq.
of IS, which has proved re- At a separate news con-
silient in Iraq and Syria and ference, NATO Secretary-
is spreading to Afghani- General Jens Stoltenberg
stan, Libya and elsewhere said the alliance agreed
in the greater Middle East. Thursday to deploy NATO
“This ministerial marks the airborne command and
beginning of a new stage in control aircraft in order to
the coalition campaign to free up similar U.S. aircraft
defeat ISIL,” Carter said, us- for the campaign in Syria
ing a common acronym for and Iraq. Details were to
the militants. He suggested be worked out.q
