Obama administration officials also said that Washington is recruiting partners for potential joint military action against the al-Qaeda breakaway group ISIS.
“We are working with our partners and asking how they might be able to contribute. There are a range of ways to contribute: humanitarian, military, intelligence, diplomatic,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.
On Thursday, French President Francois Hollande warned that Syria’s Bashar al-Assad is not the West’s partner in the fight against terrorism but an ally of Islamic extremists wreaking havoc in Syria and Iraq.
- “Assad cannot be a partner in the fight against terrorism, he is the de facto ally of jihadists,” he told a Paris gathering of ambassadors from around the world.
- Instead, Hollande urged for the arming of opposition to defeat ISIS.
Meanwhile, Germany said on Wednesday it was in talks with the United States and other international partners about possible military action against ISIS but made clear it would not participate.
It’s unclear how many nations will sign up. Some such as trusted allies Britain and France harbor bitter memories of joining the U.S.-led “coalition of the willing” in the 2003 invasion of Iraq that included troops from 38 nations. The claims of the existence of weapons of mass destruction which spurred the coalition to act were found to be false.
The United States, the officials said, could act alone if necessary against the militants, who have seized a third each of Iraq and Syria, declared open war against the West and want to establish a hub of radicalism in the heart of the Arab world.
Senior White House aides met this week to discuss a strategy for expanding its assault on ISIS, including the possibility of air strikes on the militants’ stronghold in eastern Syria -- an escalation that would almost certainly be riskier than the current U.S. campaign in Iraq.
While Iraq’s government welcomed the role of U.S. war planes to attack the militants, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned that any strikes conducted without its permission would be considered an act of aggression, potentially plunging any U.S.-led coalition into a broader conflict with Syria.
(With Reuters)
Last Update: Thursday, 28 August 2014 KSA 12:20 - GMT 09:20
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/08/28/UK-Australia-possible-U-S-partners-on-ISIS-.html
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Australian terrorism alert upgraded to high ....
ReplyDeleteIt was the first such change in 11 years in the country.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the advice was not based on knowledge of a specific attack plan but rather a body of evidence that points to the increased likelihood of a terrorist attack in Australia.
"Security and intelligence agencies are concerned about the increasing number of Australians working with, connected to, or inspired by terrorist groups such as ISIL, Jabhat al-Nusrah, and al-Qaeda. The threat they pose has been increasing for more than a year," Abbott said in a statement.
"The first priority of the government is to ensure the safety and security of its citizens. Raising the alert level to High is designed to increase vigilance and raise awareness in the community."
Abbott said state and territory governments were notified of the decision to raise the threat level and federal and state law enforcement agencies will work to counter the terrorist threat.
"The government is also taking strong action to equip our security agencies and border protection agencies with the resources and powers they need to detect terrorist activities at home and prevent radicalized foreign fighters from returning to Australia," he added.
"What we do have is intelligence that there are people with the intent and the capability to mount attacks," he said.
Abbott said Australian security agencies had recommended the increased threat level because of the number of Australians " fighting with and supporting" terrorist groups in the Middle East.
The announcement took the threat level from medium, when an attack "could" happen, but stopped short of the highest warning level of extreme, when an attack is "imminent".
http://www.china.org.cn/world/2014-09/12/content_33494375.htm
12/9/14