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US to form 'core coalition' to fight Isis in Iraq US forms 'core coalition' to fight Isis militants in Iraq
(35 minutes later)
The US has announced it is forming a "core coalition" to battle Islamic State (Isis) in Iraq, and has given the new bloc two weeks to finalise plans to help the Baghdad authorities and the Kurds in the north intensify the fight against the militants. The US has announced the formation of a "core coalition" to combat Islamic State (Isis) militants in Iraq, but warned it might take two or three years to squeeze the jihadis from the region.
Speaking at the Nato summit in Wales, the US secretary of state, John Kerry, said on Friday that the 10-nation coalition would concentrate on shoring up those in Iraq who were fighting against Isis, but said intervention would not extend to western powers sending in troops. Speaking at the Nato summit in Wales, the US secretary of state, John Kerry, said a new 10-nation grouping would concentrate on strengthening the forces in Iraq who were fighting against Isis, but said intervention would not extend to western powers sending in troops.
"We need to attack them in ways that prevent them from taking over territory, to bolster the Iraqi security forces and others in the region who are prepared to take them on, without committing troops of our own," Kerry told a meeting of the 10 nations that will form the coalition. "Obviously I think that's a red line for everybody here: no boots on the ground." "We need to attack them in ways that prevent them from taking over territory, to bolster the Iraqi security forces and others in the region who are prepared to take them on, without committing troops of our own," Kerry said. "Obviously I think that's a red line for everybody here: no boots on the ground."
He said the grouping should come up with firm plans by the time the UN general assembly meets for its annual session later this month. He said the grouping should come up with firm plans - and greater support from regional powers - by the time the UN general assembly meets for its annual session later this month. The 10 nations are the US, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Poland and Denmark. Significantly, the group does not include any Arab nation and only one of Iraq's six neighbours.
The 10 nations are the US, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Poland and Denmark. Significantly, the group does not include any Arab nation and only one of Iraq's six neighbours.
The US has launched more than 100 air strikes on Isis positions in northern Iraq in the past month to try to check the progress of the militants, who have seized a vast swath of Syria and Iraq in the past few months.The US has launched more than 100 air strikes on Isis positions in northern Iraq in the past month to try to check the progress of the militants, who have seized a vast swath of Syria and Iraq in the past few months.
But Pentagon officials have said that this military engagement will only contain the Isis advance, not defeat them, and that a broader strategy and alliance is needed. But Kerry said there would be many other ways to take the fight to Isis. US officials cited the valuable expertise of America's allies such as British and Australian special operations, Jordanian intelligence, Turkish border control and Saudi Arabia's ability to cut off financing to radicals.
The decision was made at a joint meeting of defence and foreign office ministers chaired by Kerry and his British counterpart, Philip Hammond. The first aim will be corral as many regional countries into the coalition ahead of a meeting of the UN security council hosted by the US president, Barack Obama, in the week of 22 September in New York.
British sources stressed that no request was made by the US at the meeting for the UK or Nato to carry out air strikes. But the agreement of the 10 to attend the meeting under a Nato umbrella is considered a sign that a strong military component is being planned in the campaign against Isis. The security council meeting, likely to be held during the UN general assembly and attended by the British prime minister, David Cameron, could lead to a resolution giving UN legality to any military action to drive out Isis. There will be intense diplomatic pressure placed on countries such as Russia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iran to back the condemnation of Isis. Russia has already backed UN resolutions trying to cut off financial support to the militants.
"The meeting was Nato countries coming together to see, particularly on the diplomatic and political front, how we put together the best support for the countries in the region," a spokesman for David Cameron said. "It is a politically led strategy and no commitment to military action has been taken." Kerry stressed the length of the commitment necessary. "We have the ability to destroy IS [Isis]. It may take a year, it may take two years, may take three years, but we are determined it has to happen. The effort to destroy and degrade IS will take time and persistence".
He stressed that the next stage of Nato support to Iraq – helping to train the Iraqi armed forces or to supply arms – was dependent on an effective, permanent, inclusive government in Baghdad. The British government also emphasised that the next political stage would be the meeting of the UN general assembly, due to be attended by world leaders including Cameron. He added: "There is no containment policy for IS. They are an ambitious, avowed genocidal, territorial-grabbing, caliphate-desiring quasi state with an irregular army, and leaving them in some capacity intact anywhere would leave a cancer in place that will ultimately come back to haunt us."
It is likely the core coalition will put together a UN resolution endorsing military and political support for the Iraqi forces trying to oust Isis. It remains unclear whether there will be any mention of Syria at this stage, an issue that is likely to cause difficulty for Russia, a permanent member of the UN security council. He said Friday's initiative proved "we have the ability to come together, that our capacities of defence are not frozen in an old model that we cannot respond to something like this."
Cameron was due to discuss the issue with the Turkish prime minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, on Friday afternoon and has already made a commitment to a training mission to help Jordan. He added: "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). We need to have this coalesce."
The Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, said her country was prepared to join in future air strikes. Philip Hammond, the British foreign secretary, who chaired the meeting with Kerry, said: "It's going to be a long campaign; not necessarily a military one, but a campaign to turn the tide, to cut off the funding, to undermine the recruiting, to cut off the support that they're receiving from some of the countries around the world and to push [them] back.
She said: "The countries that have expressed a willingness to tackle Isil head-on have also looked at what more can be done in terms of air strikes and Australia will respond when a formal request is made. "We in Britain have made no commitment to take part in any air strikes as yet, but we'll certainly consider that possibility if we think that it is the best and most effective way to support a credible and inclusive Iraqi government."
"The red line is combat troops on the ground. There is no interest from any country present to commit combat troops," she said. British sources stressed military action was not imminent, saying Obama would not step up a gear until a new stable and plural government had been formed in Iraq. It is assumed that Britain and France with bases in the area would offer air support.
There was also concern at the optics of a meeting convened of leading western powers at a Nato summit when both Obama and Cameron have put huge emphasis on any Iraq intervention not being western-led.
Nato announced it would offer to build defence capacity in Iraq if requested by the new non-sectarian government due to be formed by the end of next week. The secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said Nato would also co-ordinate the humanitarian airlift in Iraq as well as an information exchange on jihadi fighters returning to their home countries.
Chuck Hagel, the US defence secretary, is due to travel to Turkey next week to hold talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey could be asked to be the military epicentre of any co-ordinated air strikes.
The short-term focus will remain Iraq, with sources indicating that no attack on Isis in Syria would be considered until more had been done to identify military targets, clarify legalities and build diplomatic support for a measure that risked strengthening Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad.
Cameron and Obama have both made clear they do not support forming an unholy alliance with Assad against Isis, saying Assad is part of the problem and not part of the solution.
A British official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "There is a growing sense that this is going to take more than we are doing... but it needs to be a measured, cautious approach."
In a sign of early support from the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates foreign ministry released an unusually strong statement condemning the atrocities committed by Isis.