(see related).
The Islamic State fighting to
redraw the map of the Middle East represents a "new terrorist
threat" not just for Iraq and Syria but also for Europe, Italian
Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti said Tuesday.
The threat posed by ISIS "clearly extends towards Europe",
said Pinotti, opening an informal meeting of European defense
ministers in Milan.
Pinotti stressed the need to "use all means available to
contain and overcome this threat" and said more cooperation with
countries like Turkey was "essential" to achieve this goal.
The United States are working to build an international
coalition to fight ISIS and "there have been encouraging
messages from the Arab League" while a number of countries,
"including Italy, are already taking action, though more needs
to be done", said Pinotti.
The minister in particular called for joint political,
humanitarian and military action to fight funding sources and
the surge in foreign fighters joining the Islamic State.
Pinotti also said Italy is helping, along with other
countries, both the Kurdish militiamen of Prime Minister
Nechirvan Barzhani and Baghdad's troops by providing "weapons,
munitions, communication and intelligence" and that such efforts
will be intensified.
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