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     US-Led Coalition Discussing Progress, Strategy in Islamic State Fight

   by VOA News

   U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Philip
   Hammond are hosting a meeting Thursday in London to discuss progress
   and strategies for an international coalition working to defeat the
   Islamic State group.

   A senior U.S. State Department official said about 20 coalition members
   are taking part in the talks, including French Foreign Minister Laurent
   Fabius and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

   The ministers last met in December when they decided on a five-point
   plan that involves building up Iraqi forces, stopping the flow of
   foreign fighters, cutting off financing to the militants, countering
   their ideology and addressing humanitarian needs.

   The official said U.S.-led airstrikes have stopped the militants'
   momentum, killing thousands of fighters and pushing them into more of a
   defensive mode.

   The next phase, the official said, is focused on Iraqi forces,
   particularly a $1.6-billion effort to train and equip 12 new Iraqi
   brigades.

   That issue is a priority for Abadi, who told the Associated Press ahead
   of the meeting his troops need training and arms more quickly, and that
   victory cannot be achieved without fighting on the ground.

   The senior State Department official said foreign fighters will also be
   a major topic of the talks, both with issues involving those countries
   where the fighters are traveling from as well as the countries they
   travel through on their way to join the militants.

   Meanwhile, the fighting continues in northern Iraq, where Kurdish
   fighters say they have launched a new "large scale offensive" against
   Islamic State fighters.

   Kurdish security officials said the operation near the Mosul dam
   involved backing from three coalition airstrikes near Mosul and three
   others near Tal Afar. The bombings destroyed a number of heavy weapons
   and buildings used by the militants.

   The U.S.-led airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq began in
   August, and in September expanded to target the group in Syria as well.
   President Abadi said the airstrikes -- roughly 1,000 of them in his
   country according to Pentagon data -- have been "very effective."

   Japan Scrambles to Save Hostages

   Japan said Thursday it is considering all possible ways to gain the
   release of two hostages held by the Islamic State group.

   The Islamic State group, in a video message seen Tuesday, said it would
   kill the hostages within 72 hours unless it receives $200 million.
   Based on the video's release time, that deadline would come sometime
   Friday.

   Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters Wednesday in Tokyo
   that he has instructed officials to use every possible diplomatic
   channel to secure the release of Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa.

   The prime minister said Japan "will never give in to terrorism."  But
   neither he nor other Japanese officials have said directly whether
   Japan would pay ransom.

   The Islamic State video was released just days after Mr. Abe pledged
   $200 million in non-military aid to those countries affected by the
   Sunni extremists.

   Japan is not among the countries directly participating in the
   coalition battling insurgents in Syria and Iraq.

   However, Japanese citizens have previously been killed by Islamic
   militants - the most notable attack was at an Algerian gas plant in
   2013 where ten Japanese died.
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   strategy-in-islamic-state-fight/2608730.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-led-coalition-discussing-progress-strategy-in-islamic-state-fight/2608730.html