Kerry calls for united front to tackle Islamic State
In New York Times op-ed, US Secretary of State says only way to defeat ISIS extremists is for world to come together to oppose them.
By JPOST.COM STAFFUS Secretary of State John Kerry arrives for a news conference (photo credit: REUTERS)
As Britain prepares to host the NATO Summit of heads of state and government in Wales next week, US Secretary of State John Kerry penned an op-ed in the New York Times urging world powers to unite against the "cancer of ISIS."The terror group – which has overrun large areas in Syria and Iraq in its aim to reinstate a caliphate – poses a global threat, Kerry said as he called for a broad coalition of nations to confront its "genocidal agenda."Outlining the group's actions which include beheadings, crucifixions and mass murder, the secretary warned that the threat of ISIS spreads well beyond the borders of the region, as "its leaders have repeatedly threatened the United States."While the group – dubbed the Islamic State – took advantage of power vacuums and instability across Syria and Iraq in its quest to seize territory for an autonomous state, Kerry said they would not stop in the region but would continue to any place "they could manage to travel undetected – including America."After the NATO Summit, the top US diplomat and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel are slated to travel to the Middle East to try and muster support from the international community to tackle ISIS. As the US escalates its airstrikes in Iraq as part of efforts to stave off ISIS' advances in the north, Kerry said air raids alone would not "defeat this enemy." The only way to topple the extremist fighters was through an international effort including "humanitarian aid, military assistance" and backing stable, inclusive governments.Another platform the US plans to use is the United Nations General Assembly session next month, since September is the US' turn to serve as president of the Security Council. According to the New York Times opinion piece, US President Barack Obama will put forward "a plan to deal with this collective threat.""Coalition building is hard work," Kerry concluded, "but it is the best way to tackle a common enemy."These remarks echo Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's meeting with US representatives of the House Armed Services Committee over the weekend. Netanyahu said Israel and the US face common enemies, especially ISIS and other Islamic terrorist groups.The Prime Minister compared Hamas to ISIS, a theme he has been pushing since the Gaza war, saying that the enemies of the Jewish state are also those of the US and the entire civilized world.
"I think we should take a common stand to defeat them," Netanyahu said. "I appreciate your support and the support of the United States in this common effort."
