US sees bigger Gulf role in Daesh fight

Incirlik Airbase, Turkey - Defence Secretary Ash Carter flew to this strategically positioned air base in southern Turkey on Tuesday carrying an appeal for allied nations to do more to combat the Daesh.

“We are really looking for the rest of the world to step up,” he told US and allied troops in a cavernous airplane hangar.

As President Barack Obama did the day before at the Pentagon, Carter directed much of his message to Saudi Arabia and other Arab states in the Gulf. But Carter was far more explicit about the assistance the United States would like them to provide as the White House seeks ways to accelerate its campaign against Daesh.

‘We would like the Gulf countries to do more,” Carter said on his flight here. “Some of the Gulf countries could make very important contributions to encouraging and assisting Sunni communities subjected to Daesh rule to resist Daesh rule.”

Developing the idea further, Carter suggested later that Gulf states could help mobilise Syrian Arab fighters to challenge the Daesh in its Syrian sanctuary or support Sunni tribes in neighboring Iraq in their struggle against the terrorist group.

“The forming of capable, motivated security forces in the territory of Syria and Iraq, which is one of the key ingredients of our overall strategy, can be enabled by them,” he said. “So that is what I would want to talk to my Saudi counterpart about.”

Carter’s appeal to the Saudis came as Adel Al Jubeir, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, elaborated on the formation of a 34-nation Islamic coalition against terrorism that his country announced Monday.

The new Islamic group’s members are Saudi Arabia’s allies in the Yemen conflict and a number of African nations including Nigeria, but it conspicuously excludes Iran, Saudi Arabia’s bitter rival in the Middle East.

Speaking at a news conference in Paris, Al Jubeir said coalition members would share military and intelligence information and base their operations in Riyadh. Asked if they could provide ground forces to fight militants, he said, “Nothing is off the table.”

On Tuesday, Al Jubeir said Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab states were discussing sending special forces to Syria as part of US-led efforts to fight Daesh.

“There are discussions, countries that are currently part of the coalition (like) Saudi Arabia, the (United Arab) Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain about sending in some special forces into Syria, and those discussions are ongoing. It’s not excluded,” he said. On Wednesday Carter was in Baghad hoping to discuss with Iraqi officials Washington’s offer of attack helicopters and advisers to help retake the city of Ramadi as part of an intensified fight against Daesh.

Carter said he would also be speaking to US commanders during his visit to Baghdad to get a reading on the battlefield and “their thinking about ways that we can continue to accelerate the campaign to defeat Daesh”.

The United States has around 3,500 troops in Iraq now. Carter said he planned to discuss that offer with Iraqi officials including Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi.

-With inputs from Reuters