U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter talked about the importance of defeating ISIL during a discussion at the World Economic Forum recently in
Davos, Switzerland.
Carter highlighted various U.S. national and global security priorities for the assembled political, business and academic leaders at the forum.
Chief among the concerns Carter outlined was defeating ISIL both at the violent extremist movement’s source in Syria and Iraq, as well as quashing their influence abroad. Carter said defeat “will occur and needs to occur first and foremost in Syria and Iraq.” Carter referred to ISIL’s ideology as a cancer, and that the fight must be taken to the region that serves as the “parent tumor."
Carter said the fight against ISIL needs to be accelerated and that the effort will require more commitment from the entire coalition. Carter said that while the U.S. will take the lead on the mission, the fight must be an international effort to stem an international threat.
“A vital part of the accelerated campaign is for coalition nations and others to step up and do more to bring down the organization,” Carter said.
Carter said a go-it-alone U.S. mission would be less effective and play into the narrative ISIL is trying to spread, that of Western aggression. That’s why one of the coalition’s main objectives needs to be the empowerment and support of local forces, such as the Iraqi military and Kurdish Peshmerga to take the ground fight to ISIL.
“We've had the experience of trying to occupy places we have to clear of terrorists, and that's something difficult for foreigners to do,” Carter said.
Carter also addressed other U.S. defense concerns, including Russian aggression in Europe, the role Iran takes in stirring up discord in the Middle East, and North Korea’s attempts to demonstrate strength and flaunt nuclear agreements through bomb tests and other military displays.
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