Nato Agrees To Go After Isis

NATO allies agree to take on Islamic State threat

NEWPORT, Wales (AP) — The U.S. and 10 of its key allies on Friday agreed that the Islamic State group is a significant threat to NATO countries and that they will take on the militants by squeezing their financial resources and going after them with military might.

With the Islamic State militants spreading across eastern Syria and northern and western Iraq, President Barack Obama noted that the moderate Syrian rebels fighting both the group and the government of Bashar Assad are "outgunned and outmanned." In addition to the action pledged by fellow NATO
leaders, he pressed Arab allies to reject the "nihilism" projected by the group..

The new NATO coalition will be able to mount a sustained effort to push back the militants, Obama said. The U.S. secretaries of State and Defense, meeting with their counterparts at the international gathering, insisted the Western nations build a plan by the time the U.N. General Assembly meets this month.

"I did not get any resistance or pushback to the basic notion that we have a critical role to play in rolling back this savage organization that is causing so much chaos in the region and is harming so many people and poses a long-term threat to the safety and security of NATO members," Obama said at the summit conclusion. "So there's great conviction that we have to act, as part of the international community, to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL, and that was extremely encouraging."

Secretary of State John Kerry heads to the region next week, and he expects to expand the coalition beyond Western nations.

Said Obama: "I think it is absolutely critical that we have Arab states and specifically Sunni-majority states that are rejecting the kind of extremist nihilism that we're seeing out of ISIL, that say that is not what Islam is about and are prepared to join us actively in the fight."

The Islamic State group espouses a radical form of Sunni Islam and initially invaded Iraq to fight its Shiite government.

"What we can accomplish is to dismantle this network, this force that has claimed to control this much territory, so that they can't do us harm," Obama said. He added that U.S. ground troops in Syria are not needed to accomplish the goal, but instead can work with moderate partners on the ground in the country.

"They have been, to some degree, outgunned and outmanned. And that's why it's important for us to work with our friends and allies to support them more effectively," Obama said.

In a meeting with the foreign and defense ministers from the coalition countries, Kerry said leaders need a clear strategy and a solid idea about what each country will contribute to the fight. And, while noting that many won't be willing to engage in military strikes, he said they can instead provide intelligence, equipment, ammunition or weapons.

"We very much hope that people will be as declarative as some of our friends around the table have been in order to be clear about what they're willing to commit, because we must be able to have a plan together by the time we come to (the United Nations General Assembly)," said Kerry. "We need to have this coalesce."

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, sitting alongside Kerry, said the group forms a loose coalition that will be needed to face the insurgent challenge. He said the group can then be expanded. Along with the United States, the coalition comprises the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Germany, Canada, Turkey, Italy, Poland and Denmark.

Later, French President Francois Hollande said France was discussing with allies what type of action might be taken. "France is ready to act, but once the political accord is there and in respect to international law," Hollande said.

A senior Obama administration official said Thursday that the U.S. wanted to establish a credible ground force in Syria by training more moderate rebels before taking military action there. A $500 million request is pending in Congress.

One key prong of a Western coalition approach would be for the nations' law enforcement and intelligence agencies to work together to go after the Islamic State's financing — both in banks and more informal funding networks. But as long as the Islamic State has access to millions of dollars a month in oil revenue, it will remain well-funded, U.S. intelligence officials say.

In a joint statement, Kerry and Hagel said the diplomatic and military officials agreed to begin talking with a new Iraqi government about the potential for training and equipping the Iraqi security forces. They added that the group agreed to work to stem the Islamic State's source of funding from illicit oil sales and hold accountable those who violate the trade prohibitions.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said NATO has agreed to help coordinate assistance to Iraq. And he said NATO would consider putting together a mission to train and increase the capabilities of the Iraqi forces. NATO did training during the Iraq war.

NATO also agreed to increase cooperation among nations on sharing information about foreign fighters. A number of nations, including the U.S., have noted that radicalized citizens have been traveling to Syria and Iraq to fight, raising alarms that they could return to their home countries and launch attacks.

Denmark's Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard said after the meeting that so far Denmark hasn't been asked to provide anything specific, but he added, "I cannot deny it will happen."

"It is not only about a military effort, it is also about stopping the financial contributions to ISIS, to coordinate intelligence, it is about stopping foreign fighters, young people from our own societies," Lidegaard said in a live interview on Danish television. "It is decisive that we get more countries along."

Source

The new NATO coalition will be able to mount a sustained effort to push back the militants, Obama said.

Im hoping thats just PR talk. They should be annihilated. Pushed backed only mean that it comes back.

while noting that many won't be willing to engage in military strikes, he said they can instead provide intelligence, equipment, ammunition or weapons.

I like how Italy's in the team and won't be doing ***. Cause we won't send troups, but at the same time we got *** all resources to offer to our allies. So what is our contribution exactly? lol, moral?

Waste of time and effort. Will be another operation in which by the end of the day the US will be looked like the bad guy by the very people that want them to help. Screw that place. Let the surrounding countries deal with the problem. Focus on the ***going on here

Waste of time and effort. Will be another operation in which by the end of the day the US will be looked like the bad guy by the very people that want them to help. Screw that place. Let the surrounding countries deal with the problem. Focus on the ***going on here

NATO, they're still around?

Its that kind of attitude that allows groups to gain the strength to accomplish things like 9-11

Growing every year. Unlike your Warsaw Pact.

Planet doesn't give a ***. We'll just make it uninhabitable for ourselves.

World Wars are kept in check with NUCLEAR WEAPONS right now. I doubt a WWI style alliance domino effect would happen today when a handful of countries have the ability to destroy the global economy and drive themselves into immediate financial ruin with a couple ICBMs.

Oh and level some cities. Or maybe level the planet. Then the African goatherders will inherit the Earth.

Growing every year. Unlike your Warsaw Pact.

"North Atlantic" is kind of a misnomer now, as some Oceania nations are being brought in to encircle China, not unlike the threatening strategy used to "Contain" the USSR.

Contribution is equal to Canada's. Just send em some good eats.

Italy's tanks were designed to only move in reverse. We all know this.

I thought that was France's tanks.

Italian tanks are built with 6 reverse gears and one forward gear. The forward gear is in case they get attacked from behind.

Paging Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar, Jordan and the UAE, you're needed on line 1. Time to drop the rhetoric about the West and kick some *** Muslim style. A jihad has been declared on ISIS or some ***, all able-bodied Muslims have been drafted into Gods army style.

Allah is counting on you bros, his people are being butchered by imposters. Stop sucking the Wests *** and take care of the shitshow happening in your backyard.

Sunni, Shia, Shoemaker it don't matter - you're up.

America can clean up its own mess. Thnx

Assad offered the west cooperation in regards of IS (2 weeks ago or so), but every government I heard a statement from was declining that quickly.
What is your opinion on that?
Shouldn't they have taken more time to considerate it? Without influence in Syrian territory IS will not be stopped as it will serve as refugium and constant income source for them. Or was it right to quickly shoot down the offer because of the morale implications?