Secretary of States, Antony J. Blinken recently gave an up-to-date report on events in the Middle East. In furtherance, he submitted his knowledge on Hassan Nasrallah, who he defined has a brutal terrorist, whose many victims included Americans, Israelis, civilians in Lebanon, civilians in Syria, and many others as well.
Blinken deduced Hizballah leadership under Hassan as the time people were terrorized across the region and prevented Lebanon from fully moving forward as a country. Submitting that Lebanon, Middle East region, and the world at large are safer without him.
Maintaining the United States will continue to work with partners in the region and around the world to advance a diplomatic resolution that provides real security to Israel, Lebanon, and allow citizens on both sides of the border to return to their homes. The Secretary likewise said America will continue is work to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza that will bring the hostages home, eases the suffering of people in Gaza, preserves the possibility of a more lasting, secure peace for the entire region.
Diplomacy remains the best and only path to achieving greater stability in the Middle East. The United States remains committed to urgently driving these efforts forward, he asserted.
On the subject of ” the ministerial” – Blinken reports that 10 years ago, the United States mobilized a global coalition to confront ISIS, or Daesh (a nihilist terror group), that over the course of a few months had occupied territory comprising a third of both Iraq and Syria, which it used to conduct a horrific campaign of violence and brutality.
Over the following decade, this coalition grew from 12 to 87 countries. And together, we’ve made significant progress. In 2017, coalition partners dismantled the last ISIS stronghold in Iraq. Two years later, we did the same in Syria – effectively ending ISIS’s efforts to establish a geographic caliphate, Blinken said.
We imposed coordinated sanctions on ISIS-controlled assets to hinder the group’s recruitment and expansion. And in the last five years, we have collectively invested billions of dollars to help restore security and public infrastructure in some of the communities devastated by ISIS.
These were vital, hard-won achievements, but we know that our work is not done, claiming ISIS aims to reconstitute itself in the Middle East and make territorial gains in Asia and Africa. Our coalition must remain clear-eyed about the evolving challenge that we face. As we were reminded last week, this is a moment of enormous volatility in the Middle East. It’s more important than ever that we enhance our efforts to strengthen security and stability, including in Iraq and Syria, and prevent extremists like ISIS from exploiting conflict in the region for their own benefit, the U.S Secretary holds.
Brief Conversation Core Focused Areas
Blinken began the focus first, on the United States and Iraqs’ plan to discuss, and with other coalition partners as well, reveals plans for a phased transition of Operation Inherent Resolve. This military mission, established in response to Iraq’s 2014 request for support in its campaign against ISIS, will conclude in Iraq by September 2025. Over this period, the United States will work with Baghdad on bilateral security arrangements that will allow us to sustain and build our security partnership and cooperation.
In turn, Americas’ Iraqi partners will assume greater responsibility for ensuring that ISIS cannot retake territory within Iraq’s borders. We’re immensely grateful to Iraq and the Iraqi Security Forces for all of the sacrifices that they’ve made in this effort, and for their steadfast leadership in combating ISIS, Blinken praises.
Coalition Partners And NATO Mission In Iraq
The United States will also maintain its’ counterterrorism efforts from outside of Iraq – including in Syria – for as long as needed. Just this month, U.S. special forces successfully targeted multiple senior ISIS leaders in Syria, demonstrating our own resolve to degrade and dismantle the group and its affiliates.
Second, our coalition will discuss the repatriation of foreign fighters and their families, which remains the only durable solution to the humanitarian and security crisis in northeast Syria, the secretary said.
More than 43,000 displaced persons from over 60 countries resides in northeast Syria. Most are children who have never known another home.
Meanwhile, roughly 9,000 fighters remain in detention facilities across northeast Syria – this is the single largest concentration in the world. Even from confinement, these extremists are attempting to grow their ranks.
Increasingly, coalition partners are stepping up to meet this challenge. Since 2021, the Iraqi Government has repatriated more than 10,400 citizens. In the last year, the Kyrgyz Republic repatriated more than 432 of its nationals. Partners like Kuwait have also helped facilitate repatriations, permitting planes departing from Syria to refuel at their airbases, Blinken shares.
Now, we know repatriation remains a complicated, difficult issue. But if we fail to act, security conditions on the ground will only get worse. We could see fighters once again take up arms and threaten communities that we fought so hard to protect and support. This is not the time to let up. It’s a moment to continue our efforts, he affirmed.
We have to urgently accelerate our work to repatriate, reintegrate and – where appropriate; prosecute, detained and displaced persons from northeast Syria. The United States stands ready to provide support – logistically and diplomatically – to advance this effort.
Cooperate Strength Against ISIS Outside Of The Middle East
Blinken submitted that in sub-Saharan Africa, ISIS affiliates have gained ground, compounding the threat already present from existing militant groups.
To tackle this growing threat, the United States, Italy and Morocco have formed the coalition’s Africa Focus Group in 2021. Last year in Riyadh, we welcomed Saudi Arabia as a co-lead of this effort. Already, we’ve helped African partners better align and coordinate to support civilian-led counterterrorism operations.
ISIS-Khorasan — based out of Central and South Asia, also poses a distinctive challenge. While waging a low-level insurgency in Central and South Asia, this group uses online recruitment to mount attacks around the world, including earlier this year in Iran and Russia.
Through the coalition’s Communications Working Group – led by the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom – we’re working with journalists, civil society groups, and activists to push back against the hollow promises that ISIS propaganda seeks to promote, secretary Blinken said.
Maintaining Key Efforts Forward
In that spirit of moving forward, Blinken announce that the United States will provide $148 million to enhance civilian-led border security and counterterrorism operations across sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia.
Separately, we’ll contribute $168 million to the coalition’s annual Stabilization Pledge Drive for Iraq and Syria. This assistance will enable critical demining operations, restore essential services like water and electricity, invest in education, and promote economic opportunity.
This commitment follows the United States’ announcement last week, in New York, of $535 million in additional humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people, as well as displaced communities residing in the country.
A decade into this fight, we can take pride in all that we’ve accomplished. But as the challenge evolves, so must this coalition.
And as I said, this is not the time to let up. It’s a moment to recommit – to recommit to our common mission, to decisively defeat ISIS, and ensure greater security and stability for all of our people, the secretary assures.
