The US military, along with its international partners, will need to remain in Iraq even after the expected defeat of the Islamic State (IS) group, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said on Saturday.
Carter said the US and its coalition partners must not stop after completing the campaign to expel the IS from Mosul.
He said the militants are on a path to lasting defeat.
“But there will still be much more to do after that to make sure that, once defeated, ISIL stays defeated,” he said, using an alternative acronym for the Islamic State group. “We’ll need to continue to counter foreign fighters trying to escape and ISIL’s attempts to relocate or reinvent itself. To do so, not only the United States, but our coalition must endure and remain engaged militarily.”
“In Iraq in particular, it will be necessary for the coalition to provide sustained assistance and carry on our work to train, equip and support local police, border guards and other forces to hold areas cleared from ISIL,” Carter said.
He did not say how long this continued US military presence might be necessary or how many troops would be required.
At any rate, those decisions are likely to fall to the administration of US president-elect Donald Trump after it takes office in January.
In describing recent Pentagon actions to put a stranglehold on the IS worldwide, Carter said the administration of US President Barack Obama has directed the secretive US Joint Special Operations Command to prioritize destroying the militant group’s ability to conduct attacks in the West.
Earlier this week, Trump announced that he intends to nominate retired US Marine general James Mattis to be his defense secretary.
Carter congratulated Mattis, who is a former commander of US Central Command overseeing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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