Trump administration will hold anti-ISIS strategy session with allies: report

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is expected to head a meeting of dozens of countries and international organizations this month focused on fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

The Trump administration has invited more than 60 countries and organizations to attend the March 22–23 strategy session, signaling that President Trump will continue to pursue the diplomatic efforts once led by former President Obama.

A U.S. official told the Post that the scheduled meeting shows the meeting of the anti-ISIS coalition shows that the U.S. is still committed to a multilateral effort to take down the militant group.

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“The first thing the new administration will do is reinforce the importance of the coalition,” the official said, according to the Post.

On the campaign trail, Trump frequently slammed Obama’s strategy for fighting ISIS, claiming it was ultimately ineffective and that only more aggressive rhetoric backed by a sweeping campaign in Syria and Iraq could defeat the extremist group.

Trump, however, has long refrained from providing details on his strategy against ISIS. Another U.S. official told the Post that the planned strategy session was in line with Trump’s vows to make other countries “carry their load,” an idea he has also stressed in pressuring NATO allies to increase their defense budgets.

“It’s consistent with what the president talked about in terms of burden-sharing and asking other countries to carry their load,” the official said, according to the Post.

The president has also expressed a desire to work with Russia to fight the extremist group, although it’s unclear how feasible that cooperation would be.