USA says wins Saudi air campaign commitment to be against IS

BRUSSELS: United States (US) Defence Secretary Ash Carter, who was under pressure to shore up support from Arab allies to fight the Islamic State (IS) armed group on Thursday welcomed the commitment of Saudi Arabia to expand its role in air strikes against militants.

In a gathering of defense ministers more than two dozen at NATO Headquarters, Saudi Arabia, which quietly resumed its air strikes in participation in recent weeks, also renewed the possibility of sending forces to Syria.

"The defense minister of Saudi Arabia ... stated that the Kingdom relaunch its commitment to the coalition air campaign, which is very welcome news, and contributing in other critical ways on the ground," Carter said after the talks in Brussels.

Carter, generally praising contributions from allies, said should win the US-led war against IS despite former Cold War foe Russia's role in the civil war in Syria on the side of the government of President Bashar Al-Assad.

On Wednesday, France delivered a rebuke President Barack Obama, demanding that Washington show a clearer commitment to resolving the crisis in Syria, where Russia is tipping the military balance in favor of Assad.

Four months after Russian air strikes in Syria have helped Assad claw back territory from rebels fighting government forces, worrying Gulf Arab states to back the rebels.

Saudi Arabia said it has carried out more than 190 air missions in Syria, although it has been focusing military efforts in the past year on the conflict in Yemen, which is leading a coalition of mainly Gulf Arab forces battling Houthi fighters who control Sanaa.

In Munich, US Secretary John Kerry was leading a diplomatic push to rescue escaped peace efforts, which will take place despite the Russian air raids on the strengthening of Syrian forces around the city of Aleppo.

Carter sought to draw a line between military and diplomatic efforts, saying that it is necessary to defeat "what happens with the start of the civil war."

But he also said Russian shelling of opposition fighters backed West could prolong the civil war that helped is.

"I'm sure you will [beat IS]. The Russians do not help in this regard, but we do anyway, "he told reporters.

Carter Allies offered a long list of required military capabilities, which, apart from the air force, included the training of Iraqi forces and help with intelligence and surveillance. Carter said countries could not contribute military could help in other ways, such as from drowning IS funding.

Saudiia Arab Brigadier Ahmed Asseri, a military spokesman, said his country was ready to send troops to Syria if there was consensus in the coalition. But he declined to elaborate, saying: "It is too early to talk about such options ... Today we talk to a strategic level," Asseri told reporters in Brussels.

US defense officials had sought to manage expectations on the talks, as many ministers should win the support of their parliaments. Carter said about a third of US Allies made commitments that still requires parliamentary approval, which appear to leave much promise in limbo.

The British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said there was "definitely pressure on those who are still on the sidelines." The timetable for the campaign to end IS control strategies Raqqa and Mosul cities in Iraq was also unclear.

The head of the US Defense Intelligence Delegation warned this week that the Iraqi forces were unlikely to recapture Mosul this year, although it hoped Baghdad.

Carter said only safe loading Raqqa and Mosul vehicles needed to happen "soon." He recognized the need to fight the spread is beyond Syria and Iraq, particularly in Libya.

"Nobody wants to see Libya on a slope sliding the kind of situation which is already engulfed Syria and Iraq," he said.