Anti-ISIS Coalition reaffirms commitment to continued fight
WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan 24) – Representatives of the Defeat-ISIS Coalition held a virtual meeting on Thursday, in which they affirmed their “shared determination to continue the fight against Daesh/ISIS in Iraq and Syria and to create conditions for an enduring defeat of the terrorist group,” according to the joint communique of the conference.
The meeting was held by the Coalition’s “Small Group,” which consists of 32 members of the 82 members in the Defeat-ISIS Coalition.
Although the meeting was at the level of Foreign Ministers, Iraq’s new prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, addressed the group. Prior to assuming that position, Kadhimi had been head of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, so he is quite knowledgeable about the threat posed by the so-called Islamic State.
The group’s concluding communique expressed deep appreciation for Kadhimi’s presentation; thanked him for his support: and acknowledged “with deepest respect the extraordinary efforts and huge sacrifices made by Iraq against Daesh/ISIS.”
Presumably, that includes the sacrifices of the Peshmerga, although no explicit mention was made of the Kurdish forces in the communique.
In welcoming Kadhimi, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo affirmed the US commitment to “deepening our partnership with the people and Government of Iraq through a series of discussions, particularly the US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue, which will begin later this month.”
The Kurdistan Region will participate in that dialogue, and it will be represented by Fawzi Hariri. Hariri is currently the head of the regional presidency office and he was previously Minister of Industry and Minerals in the Baghdad government.
Read More: Kurdistan cabinet chooses envoy for US-Baghdad talks, discusses COVID-19 risks
In his opening remarks, Pompeo stressed the US commitment to the defeat of the Islamic State.
“Our fight against ISIS continues,” he said, “and it will be here for the foreseeable future. We cannot rest.”
“We must continue to root out ISIS cells and networks and provide stabilization assistance to liberated areas in Iraq and Syria,” Pompeo continued.
He also stressed the need to ensure “the secure and humane detention of the thousands of foreign terrorist fighters still in custody inside of Syria and in Iraq.”
“All nations should follow Italy’s example on repatriation,” Pompeo said, “and Germany’s example on holding ISIS fighters and facilitators accountable.”
The trial of an Iraqi member of the Islamic State, from Fallujah, charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes, recently began in Germany for his role in the Yezidi genocide.
Read More: Iraqis in US, German courtrooms held for extremist crimes
Islamic State’s Expansion to Africa’s Sahel and Afghanistan
Pompeo also explained that the Islamic State had established a presence in West Africa and in Afghanistan, where it “carried out a maternity ward massacre” last month in a hospital in a Shi’ite neighborhood of Kabul, killing 24 people, including mothers and newborn babies.
The hospital is run by the Paris-based Doctors Without Borders, which called the attack “pure hell.”
The French medical charity explained that the terrorists specifically targeted the hospital’s maternity ward. “They went through the rooms” in the ward, “shooting women in their beds. It was methodical,” a press release explained. “They came to kill the mothers.”
France has taken the lead in fighting the Islamic State in West Africa’s Sahel region. It receives logistical support from the US there, as well as assistance with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
In January, the French Defense Minister, Florence Parly, visited Washington, amid concern that the US might end its support for the French-led mission in the Sahel.
However, statements from Wednesday’s Defeat-ISIS conference suggest that US support will continue.
The Ministers “noted with concern the emerging threat posed by Daesh/ISIS affiliates and branches worldwide, in particular in West Africa and the Sahel,” the final communique stated, while Pompeo affirmed, “the United States looks forward to rescheduling our event to help bring a coordinated fight to ISIS in West Africa.”
Editing by John J. Catherine