ROME: The United States and Italy warned Tuesday that Daesh is expanding its reach, threatening to seize Libya and launch attacks in Western countries.
But as representatives from the 23 countries of the US-led coalition battling Daesh’s self-declared “caliphate” reviewed their progress at talks in Rome, Italy and France made it clear military action against Daesh’s Libyan wing is not on the immediate agenda.
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and US Secretary of State John Kerry opened the talks by telling their allies that, since their meeting six months ago, the terror group had suffered setbacks in its core territory in Syria and Iraq.
But the hosts warned that the group is adapting to the pressure on its heartland and is redirecting its efforts toward Libya, where it has seized new territory, and into attacks like those in Paris, Ankara and San Bernadino, California.
“We are surely not here to brag about anything,” Kerry said, after saying Daesh fighters have lost 40 percent of their territory in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria.
“We’re here to recommit, we’re here to re-evaluate, we’re here to make judgments about things we have started that we could do better,” he said.
Gentiloni said the challenge facing the coalition of mainly Western and Arab nations is stark.
“We know that we have in front of us an organization that is very resilient and able to plan strategically and so we should not underestimate it,” he said.
“If anything we need to be ever more wary and more watchful because we know that the more Daesh is squeezed in its core territories, the more tempted it is pursue its terrorist activities elsewhere,” he warned, using an Arabic acronym for Daesh.
“We are witnessing renewed activity in Libya and in sub-Saharan Africa,” he said.
But as representatives from the 23 countries of the US-led coalition battling Daesh’s self-declared “caliphate” reviewed their progress at talks in Rome, Italy and France made it clear military action against Daesh’s Libyan wing is not on the immediate agenda.
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and US Secretary of State John Kerry opened the talks by telling their allies that, since their meeting six months ago, the terror group had suffered setbacks in its core territory in Syria and Iraq.
But the hosts warned that the group is adapting to the pressure on its heartland and is redirecting its efforts toward Libya, where it has seized new territory, and into attacks like those in Paris, Ankara and San Bernadino, California.
“We are surely not here to brag about anything,” Kerry said, after saying Daesh fighters have lost 40 percent of their territory in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria.
“We’re here to recommit, we’re here to re-evaluate, we’re here to make judgments about things we have started that we could do better,” he said.
Gentiloni said the challenge facing the coalition of mainly Western and Arab nations is stark.
“We know that we have in front of us an organization that is very resilient and able to plan strategically and so we should not underestimate it,” he said.
“If anything we need to be ever more wary and more watchful because we know that the more Daesh is squeezed in its core territories, the more tempted it is pursue its terrorist activities elsewhere,” he warned, using an Arabic acronym for Daesh.
“We are witnessing renewed activity in Libya and in sub-Saharan Africa,” he said.
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