Defense ministers from several nations in the Operation Inherent Resolve coalition to defeat ISIL were in Paris recently to discuss military and political strategies to counter the violent extremist group.
U.S.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter met with his counterparts from Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the U.K. to discuss how the coalition can halt the growing threat posed by the radical militants in Syria, Iraq and the rest of the world.
A statement from the Pentagon said that while the coalition air campaign has beaten back the terrorist group in some areas, it’s time for the coalition to become more aggressive.
“We reaffirmed our governments' continuing substantial commitment to work together with the entire (counter-ISIL) coalition to accelerate and intensify the campaign against ISIL in order to deliver a lasting defeat to this barbaric organization,” the Pentagon release said.
But military action isn’t all that’s required to remove the threat posed by ISIL, the defense ministers said in Paris. Countering the threat of extremist insurgencies also requires efforts to rebuild a more stable political and social environment in the region.
“We are committed to ensuring the coherence of our military actions with the comprehensive efforts to set the conditions for sustainable political stability in the region,” the statement said.
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