WASHINGTON—Defense and foreign ministers from more than 30 nations are gathering in Washington to plan the next steps in the fight against the ISIS terrorist group and to determine what more they can do as the fights for key cities in Iraq and Syria move forward.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter will meet with his counterparts on Wednesday to discuss how they can accelerate the campaign and build on some of the momentum, particularly in Iraq. The meeting comes as Iraqi security forces, aided by the coalition, are preparing to encircle and eventually attempt to retake the key northern city of Mosul.
The meeting of defense ministers at Joint Base Andrews just outside Washington, D.C., will be the fourth time that Carter has convened an anti-ISIS coalition meeting. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said Carter will talk about the military campaign, and how it can be accelerated.
On Thursday, for the first time, Secretary of State John Kerry will host a joint meeting of defense and foreign ministers in the counter-IS coalition. They are expected to talk about the coordination of political and military efforts, including counter-terrorist financing, combating the flow of foreign fighters, and the stabilization of cities and towns that have been freed from Islamic State control.
