A large-scale military operation, led by the US and strongly backed by the anti-Islamic State coalition, including the Arab states, will defeat the militant organization, said Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of US Central Command.
“The coalition remains the strength of our military campaign and we assess that, through our collective efforts, we are having the desired effects on the enemy,” said Austin.
Speaking to to Arab News before his departure from Riyadh on Friday, Austin said: “It is important to note that although Daesh (IS) continues to conduct barbaric acts of terrorism, the group’s capability has been degraded in Syria, and they are proving unable to take and hold new territory in Iraq.”
Austin, who attended the two-day meeting of the military chiefs of the anti-IS coalition in Riyadh, said: “The counter-IS campaign will take time, but we will defeat this enemy.” He said the conference of military leaders gave an opportunity to discuss the progress of the military campaign designed to counter and ultimately defeat IS.
“We had a very productive meeting among the counter-IS coalition members,” he said. The meeting of military chiefs, which was intensively monitored by international media, discussed a range of issues including IS and regional terror outfits.
A report published in a section of Arabic press said that the Riyadh meeting may have discussed the training of Libyan soldiers in the fight against the extremist group and how to strengthen the Iraqi Army.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News, the Saudi ambassador to Libya, Mohammed Al-Ali, said the Libyan Army is in an embryonic stage and in need of training and rehabilitation. “The situation in Libya today is no longer a domestic issue, because it poses a threat to the neighboring countries as well as the world due to its proximity to European shores,” the ambassador said.
US general confident IS terrorists can be defeated
US general confident IS terrorists can be defeated
