67 countries’ ministers hear Trump’s anti-IS plan

– Ministers from the 68-nation US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) group meet in Washington since yesterday to hear more about US President Donald Trump’s plan to destroy the jihadists’ remaining strongholds in Iraq and Syria.

Trump has ordered his generals to craft an accelerated strategy to “eradicate” the group’s so-called caliphate, and allied partners are keen to learn more at the day-long ministerial-level discussion.

The meeting at the State Department also allows Trump’s discreet Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, to emerge from the shadows and stamp his authority on the diplomatic side of the joint effort.

But Trump’s plan to slash 28% from the State Department’s budget for diplomacy and foreign aid suggests fewer resources for post-conflict stabilisation – a proposal that has raised eyebrows.

European diplomats told AFP they expect Washington to reaffirm its commitment to a longer-term plan to secure the region after a battlefield victory.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was in Washington just ahead of the talks, and said victory against IS was within sight if allies stick together.

“We are proving that Daesh (IS) can be killed, can be eliminated,” Abadi told an invited audience at the US Institute for Peace, using the group’s Arabic acronym. “We shouldn’t lose focus, we shouldn’t give Daesh a second chance.”

Shortly after taking office in January, Trump gave the Pentagon 30 days to review progress in the anti-IS fight and develop a comprehensive plan to “obliterate” the group.

As a candidate Trump frequently bemoaned how long then president Barack Obama was taking to get the job done. – AFP