Foreign dignitaries from around 60 countries that make up the international coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) will meet for the first time next week, the State Department announced Wednesday.
Secretary of State John Kerry will chair the first ministerial meeting on Dec. 3 at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The ministers plan to “discuss the political mechanism for our joint efforts to degrade and defeat” ISIS, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.
{mosads}The confab likely will serve as an important update to allies as the U.S. continues to lead airstrikes both inside Iraq and Syria against the terror group.
Besides the U.S., Australia, Britain, Canada and France have also launched airstrikes against ISIS targets in Iraq.
Meanwhile, Arab nations including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have taken part in or supported the air campaign against ISIS in Syria.
Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, told The Hill that the U.S. is in talks with Arab countries about possibly deploying ground troops into Iraq and Syria to combat the terror organization.