U.S. defense secretary, king of Bahrain discuss strategy against ISIL

The king of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter late last week at the king’s home in Bahrain.

The meeting was part of a weeklong visit to the region. The two leaders discussed the strategy against ISIL in Syria and Iraq, as the U.S. and the world are still on high alert after the attacks in Paris and California.

Carter has been speaking to constituents in both the U.S. and around the world, as U.S. and allied forces look to counter attacks from ISIL.

Carter extended appreciation to Bahrain for its support in countering ISIL, as well as the appreciation for decades of positive relations. Carter also assured the king of continued support in the region from the U.S.

“Now, ISIL’s attacks in Paris, like those it has perpetrated elsewhere, were barbaric and they were an assault on the civilization we defend,” Carter said to the House Armed Services Committee before the attack in San Bernardino, California, regarding the U.S. strategy in the Middle East. “ISIL requires, and it will receive, a lasting defeat. The president had directed us to intensify and adapt the military campaign before the Paris attacks, and we will describe those new actions today.  We continue to accelerate our efforts in the wake of Paris, and we are urging others to do the same because those attacks further highlighted the stakes that not just the United States, but the world has in this fight.”