The Trump administration will gather 68 foreign ministers from around the globe this month to figure out a more efficient strategy for decimating the Islamic State group.
The State Department confirmed Thursday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and U.S. allies will meet March 22-23 to “accelerate international efforts to defeat ISIS in the remaining areas it holds in Iraq and Syria and maximize pressure on its branches, affiliates and networks.” Coalition forces will also discuss ways to handle the ongoing humanitarian crisis playing out in Syria and Iraq as a result of the terror group’s presence in the region.
“It’s an opportunity for Secretary Tillerson to lay out the challenges that are facing the coalition moving forward,” acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Thursday, Voice of America reported. “We all recognize that we have seen progress in defeating ISIS on the ground … how do we leverage that success?” he said. “How do we build on that success?”
The meeting will take place less than one month after President Trump told a joint session of Congress that he would take “strong measures to protect our nation from radical Islamic terrorism.”
“As promised, I directed the Department of Defense to develop a plan to demolish and destroy ISIS — a network of lawless savages that have slaughtered Muslims and Christians, and men, women, and children of all faiths and beliefs,” Mr. Trump said Feb. 28. “We will work with our allies, including our friends and allies in the Muslim world, to extinguish this vile enemy from our planet.”
The last meeting of coalition forces of foreign ministers in the nation’s capital was July 21, 2016, the State Department said.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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