New US Pentagon chief convenes unusual counter-IS meeting

[Valin]

AP

ROBERT BURNS

Feb 23 2015

 

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait (AP) U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter convened an extraordinary war council Monday on Iraq's doorstep, six days after taking office, to discuss the nitty-gritty of the administration's oft-criticized strategy for countering the Islamic State militant group and *probe for gaps and weaknesses.

 

The Army general commanding the war effort in Iraq and Syria, meanwhile, told reporters that the Islamic State's fighters are "halted, on the defensive" in Iraq and facing a new counterattack by Iraqi forces in Anbar province to retake a town the militants seized earlier this month. Lt. Gen. James L. Terry said he is confident the Iraqi push, dubbed "Lion's Revenge," will succeed in retaking the town of al-Baghdadi.

 

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They were holding a six-hour closed-door session at this sprawling military base that hosts Terry's headquarters.

 

During a brief picture-taking session as the talks began, * Carter said he needs a better understanding of the administration's approach to what he called the "very complicated" problem of an Islamic extremist group "spreading echoes and reflections around the world." He added, "It is a problem that has an important military dimension, but it's not a purely military problem -- it's a politico-military problem."

 

 

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