Senior officials from the U.S.-led
coalition battling Islamic State forces will meet in Canada this week to
discuss how to improve the effectiveness of the campaign, two sources
with knowledge of the meeting said on Monday.
Retired U.S. General John Allen, special envoy for building the coalition against Islamic State, speaks to the media during a news conference at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad January 14, 2015. Photo: Reuters/Thaier Al-Sudani
They said those who will take part in
the closed-door gathering in Quebec City on Thursday include retired
General John Allen, appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama to build a
coalition against the militant group.
A spokesman at the U.S. embassy in Ottawa said he could not comment.
Earlier this month Allen urged Turkey to
do more to stop jihadists crossing its border with Syria. Turkey and
the United States are now working on plans to jointly sweep Islamic
State fighters from a strip of land along the Turkish border.
The Quebec City meeting of the so-called
anti-ISIS Coalition Small Group will focus on all aspects of the
struggle against ISIS, both military and political, the two sources
said.
Fighter jets from the United States and
Canada are striking against ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria and both
nations are also training Iraqi fighters.
Western powers say their efforts alone
will not defeat the group, insisting Iraq needs to do more, and the
Quebec meeting will assess Baghdad's actions.
Foreign ministers from the Coalition
Small Group last month met Iraq's prime minister, who complained the
coalition had not done enough to tackle Islamic State, which holds about
a third of the country.
The Small Group comprises about 20
nations, including Australia, Bahrain, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy,
Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Source: Reuters