The United States said it had created a “core coalition” on Friday to battle Islamic State militants in Iraq, calling for broad support from allies and partners around the world but ruling out committing ground forces.
President Barack Obama sought to use a NATO summit in Wales to enlist allied support in a campaign to destroy the Islamist militants but as the summit drew to a close it remained unclear how many nations might join Washington in air strikes.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel told foreign and defence ministers from 10 nations at a hastily arranged meeting that there were many ways they could help, including training and equipping the Iraqis.
British and German ministers warned that it would be a long campaign to push the Sunni militants back after stunning gains they have made in Syria and Iraq, drawing volunteers from many countries including in the West.
NATO announced plans for allies to share more information on westerners fighting for IS – who U.S. and European security officials see as a major risk to national security when they return home. NATO may also coordinate airlifts by member states to deliver assistance to Iraq.
“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 the meeting.
“Obviously I think that’s a red line for everybody here: no boots on the ground.”
Hagel told ministers from Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Poland and Denmark that they, with the United States, formed the core group for tackling the Sunni militant group.
“It is the core group that will form the larger and extended coalition that’s going to be required to deal with this challenge,” he said.
Kerry said he hoped the allies could develop a comprehensive plan for combating IS in time for this month’s annual UN General Assembly session in New York.
The threat posed by returning foreign fighters was “a challenge to every country here”, Kerry told the ministers.
Britain raised its terrorism alert last week to its second-highest level over the threat posed by IS, meaning it assessed a strike was “highly likely”.
