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Islamic State conflict: London hosts coalition talks Islamic State conflict: London hosts coalition talks
(about 3 hours later)
Senior officials from 21 countries are gathering in London to discuss efforts to tackle the jihadist militant group, Islamic State (IS), in Syria and Iraq. Foreign ministers from 22 countries are meeting in London to discuss ways to co-ordinate their efforts to combat the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).
Those taking part in the one-day conference include US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. IS controls large swathes of Syria and Iraq and the US-led coalition has been carrying out air strikes since August.
They will discuss how to halt the flow of recruits and money to IS. But UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond insisted much more needed to be done.
They will also look at providing more military help to those fighting on the ground, and boosting humanitarian aid. He told the BBC that the countries wanted to find ways to halt the flow of recruits to IS, cut off its funding and "tackle the underlying narrative".
BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins says ministers will be exploring ways to accelerate and intensify a long-term campaign. They will also look at providing more military assistance to those fighting IS on the ground, and more humanitarian aid to its victims.
Recent attacks by Islamist militants in France have put even greater political pressure on governments to show decisive results, he adds. BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins says the recent attacks by Islamist militants in France have put even greater political pressure on governments to show decisive results.
Mr Kerry, who will co-host the talks with UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, said there was "greater determination" than ever to defeat IS. 'Greater resolve'
"Terrorists want to drive us apart, but in fact their actions have had the opposite effect - they're bringing us together," he told reporters before leaving for London. Before leaving Washington to co-host Thursday's talks with Mr Hammond, US Secretary of State John Kerry said violent extremists hoped such attacks would drive the coalition apart.
He had been holding talks in Washington with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. "But in fact, their actions have had the opposite effect," he stressed. "They're bringing us together with greater determination, with greater resolve to be able to get the job done."
Ms Mogherini said the conflict was "not a fight between the West and Islam". A senior US state department official said foreign fighters would be the "real focus" of the London conference, and that an expert working group would be formed to discuss sharing information to stop them travelling.
The anti-IS coalition, she added, was "a partnership that unites us all against a phenomenon that is brutally devastating societies all over starting with the Arab countries". The European police agency, Europol, estimates that up to 5,000 EU citizens have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight. Thousands of others have travelled from Arab and Muslim states.
Who are Islamic State (IS)? Looking back at the past five months, Mr Hammond said the coalition's strategy had arrested the momentum of Islamic State across Iraq, which began in June when it routed several Iraqi army divisions and captured the northern city of Mosul.
IS controls large areas of Iraq and Syria, in which it announced the creation of a "caliphate" in June. "The engagement of the coalition and the beginning of air strikes against [IS] positions halted that advance and in some cases it has begun to turn it back," he told the BBC.
Speaking in Iraq before leaving for London, Mr Abadi praised the US-led coalition's air campaign against IS, but said the international community needed to do more to train and equip ground forces. The state department official said the air campaign had "taken offline [Islamic State's] ability to command and control, their ability to mass and manoeuvre".
"And they've gone from a force that was very much capable militarily to conduct fairly large-scale offensive operations to a force that is now digging in for defensive operations."
What is Islamic State (IS)?
But Mr Hammond warned that there was "a big job ahead of us".
"We are building the Iraqi security forces from a state of disarray and poor training and poor leadership... for what will be need to be a sustained offensive against [IS] forces on the ground."
"It will be months yet before they are ready to start significant combat operations."
Speaking in Iraq before flying to London, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the international community needed to do more to train and equip ground forces.
"We are in this almost on our own," he told the Associated Press. "There is a lot being said and spoken, but very little on the ground.""We are in this almost on our own," he told the Associated Press. "There is a lot being said and spoken, but very little on the ground."
The countries taking part in Thursday's conference along with the US and UK are Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. In Syria, the US and its Western allies are relying on "moderate" rebels to take the fight to IS, and are reluctant to co-operate with President Bashar al-Assad, who they want out of power.
The US-led coalition has carried out more than 1,000 air strikes since its campaign against IS began in Iraq in August and in Syria in September. The rebels have received some training and equipment from the US, but have so far been unable to dislodge the jihadists from their strongholds in the country's north and east.
The US says the campaign has been successful but that is likely to stretch on for years. The countries taking part in the conference along with the US and UK are Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.