STUTTGART, Germany — A meeting in Germany of the 12 largest troop-contributing nations in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria ended with a call for Iraq to resolve its political differences.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter presided over the one day session, which was held at the headquarters of the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany.
A joint statement issued at the conclusion of the meeting was a recognition that the political turmoil in Baghdad threatens to undermine the collective effort against the terrorist group.
“We called on all of Iraq’s political leaders to commit themselves to the legal and peaceful reconciliation of political differences in order to confront the nation’s challenges and to remain united against the common enemy of ISIL/Da’esh,” the statement said.
The countries involved in the talks were the United States, Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
The countries also committed to the deployment of “additional enabling capabilities” to “further accelerate and reinforce the success of our partners on the ground,” a reference to Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.
The 12 countries agreed to meet again later this year.
