Global Coalition against ISIS meets as talk turns to preventing resurgence
All the foreign ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS will meet today in Washington. The 79 ministers will discuss ISIS’s looming defeat, but will focus on preventing its re-emergence.
While ISIS is diminishing, it is not yet destroyed. Excluding western Syria, fewer than 1,000 ISIS militants remain in Iraq and Syria. However, as the militants are dedicated and experienced, the US military believes ISIS could re-emerge in 6 months if security is mismanaged in the absence of US troops. With Turkey having killed 260 Kurdish and ISIS fighters in northern Syria two weeks ago, there are fears that ISIS will take advantage of a reduced US and Kurdish presence.
On the other hand, US President Donald Trump signaled on Sunday that American troops will not withdraw immediately. Though Trump stated the troops’ focus will shift to monitoring Iran, the US may maintain hundreds of troops in Iraqi bases to counter ISIS.
Expect Ankara to refute the coalition’s pressure to limit Turkish military offensives against ISIS targets. With a diminishing US presence in northern Syria, Turkey’s bombardment of the Kurdish population could strengthen ISIS.
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