Al-anwar Newspaper English news in Australia
The United Kingdom is to host a British-American summit on fighting the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
A official source in the foreign ministry told Ahram Online that countries involved in US-led international coalition against IS will take part in the summit Thursday.
Foreign ministers from 20 countries, including Arab states, will discuss how to further degrade and defeat the IS group that controls large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.
The talks, according to a British official, will focus on the threat of foreign fighters, the military campaign against IS, its sources of finance, and humanitarian assistance issues.
European security services say thousands of European Muslims have been recruited by IS for fighting in Syria and Iraq.
The UK’s Home Office believes about 600 British people have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight, around half of them have returned, and there are thousands of people from across Europe who have done the same.
It is understood that British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and his American counterpart, John Kerry, will co-chair the London summit.
It will come days after the UK and the US agreed to share expertise on “preventing radicalism and tackling domestic violent extremism.”
The two countries have also agreed to set up a anti-terror taskforce that will report back to UK and American leaders within six months, according to UK Prime Minister David Cameron in statements made after talks with US President Barack Obama at the White House.
Cameron warned that both countries face a “poisonous and fanatical ideology.”
