The Obama administration believes its international coalition to fight the Islamic State is “coming together very nicely,” even though few countries have stepped up with specific commitments.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday the U.S. still is compiling a checklist detailing exactly what the coalition will need from member countries. When that is completed, he said, those countries will make their own announcements about what they’re willing to do to fight the Islamist militant group.
“We want to make sure we have all the boxes checked in terms of what our needs are. … We want to make sure their commitment matches what is actually needed, and we’re not duplicating efforts,” Mr. Earnest said. “Based on the very strong statements we’re seeing from public officials representing these other governments, there is a clear indication this coalition is coming together very nicely.”
Last week, President Obama laid out a new strategy for dealing with the Islamic State, which had beheaded two Americans and a Briton and controls large swathes of territory across Iraq and Syria.
At the center of his strategy is the construction of an international coalition, which the president said must include Arab nations.
So far, Saudi Arabia has agreed to help the U.S. train moderate Syrian rebels, but few other commitments have emerged.
Mr. Earnest hinted that may change by next week’s United Nations General Assembly session in New York City. He also suggested other nations privately have told the U.S. what they’re willing to do.
“I don’t want to get ahead of any specific commitments that have been made by members of the coalition,” he said.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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