NATO hosts meeting of Global Coalition against IS

BRUSSELS, Oct 22 (KUNA) -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg joined an in-person meeting of Defence Ministers from framework nations of the Global Coalition against so-called Islamic State (IS/Dasesh), chaired by the United States, at NATO headquarters in Brussels Friday.
According to a NATO press release, Stoltenberg said that allies were strongly committed in the fight against terrorism.
He also highlighted NATO's continued strong engagement in the Global Coalition, including through NATO Mission Iraq, and the Alliance's capacity-building efforts in support to Jordan and Tunisia.
He emphasized the need to preserve their collective counterterrorism gains in Afghanistan over the past twenty years.
Furthermore, the NATO chief underscored that the alliance was looking into possibilities to expand its partnerships towards countries in the Sahel region and was exploring opportunities for further cooperation with African countries in countering terrorism.
Meanwhile, in a separate press conference after a meeting of NATO Defense Ministers this afternoon, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the Global Coalition gathering was a "restricted meeting of our top military contributors to defeat ISIS." "It will be an important opportunity for us to consult on on-going operations in Iraq and Syria as well as new emerging threats such ISIS Khorasan," he added. (end) nk.gta