NATO Secretary General attends meeting of Counter-ISIL Coalition
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attended a meeting of the Counter-ISIL Coalition at Joint Air Base Andrews, Maryland on Wednesday (20 July 2016). Discussions focused on the military campaign against ISIL and reaffirmed nations' resolve to degrade and defeat the terrorist organisation.
Hosted by US Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Wednesday's meeting was attended by Coalition defence ministers. All 28 NATO Allies are members of the Coalition, and NATO - while itself not a member of the Coalition - is stepping up its support. The Secretary General briefed the Coalition on the decisions taken at the NATO Summit in Warsaw to help fight terrorism and project stability in North Africa and the Middle East.
At Warsaw, leaders decided that NATO’s advanced AWACS surveillance aircraft will provide valuable information directly to Coalition forces. NATO is also stepping up support for partners in North Africa and the Middle East, including Iraq. NATO is already training hundreds of Iraqi officers in Jordan, and will soon expand this training into Iraq itself.