US diplomat: Anti-IS coalition meeting in Brussels to review capability gaps

BRUSSELS, Feb 9 (KUNA) -- US Defense Secretary Ash Carter will host and chair a meeting in Brussels Thursday to bring together tens of defence ministers of counter-IS (the so-called Islamic State) coalition to review military campaign against IS in Syria and Iraq.
"They will also review capability gaps and make a bid to individual ministers what it is they might do more in support of the coalition. The most significant gap is ground troops," US ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute told a news conference this afternoon.
Lute said he has seen reports that some Arabian Gulf countries have suggested they might send ground troops to fight IS. "We have to see how that plays off," he said.
"The ability to put meaningful ground troops connected to the coalition air power is really the key capability we are trying to forge," he said.
The US diplomat said "gaps remain both militarily, and funding gaps for reconstruction and stabilisation. Secretary Ash will highlight that on Thursday's meeting." There are capabilities also required to train Iraqi police and security forces so that when Iraqi population centres like Ramadi are free of IS the Iraqi army can take on the next task so that IS does not return, he said.
He noted that all 28 NATO members are part of the coalition together with 26 additional NATO partners.
Lute clarified that the anti-IS coalition meeting has nothing to do with NATO but only that NATO has provided the venue as it will be taking place after the end of a two-day meeting of NATO defence ministers.
A similar meeting was held at the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in December 2014, noted the US diplomat.
Since that time the "coalition has matured and solidified since there are more coalition members today and there is diversity of contributions," he added. (end) nk.bs