U.S. and Allies Form Coalition With Intent to Destroy ISIS NEWPORT, Wales — #NATO on Friday approved plans for a 4,000-person rapid #reactionforce #headquartered in #easternEurope, aimed at reassuring members near #Russia unnerved by its military actions in the #Ukraine conflict that the principle of collective defense remains sacrosanct. The NATO secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said the force, a “spearhead” for a larger reaction force, would send a clear message to potential aggressors, namely Russia, and represent “a continuous presence.” “Should you even think of attacking one ally, you will be facing the whole alliance,” he declared at the close of the two-day NATO summit in southern Wales. Earlier Friday, the Obama administration said it had formed a coalition of countries to oppose Sunni militants with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, unveiling a military and political campaign that officials said could eventually serve as a model for fighting extremist groups around the world. But Ukraine remained the most important issue for the alliance, even as a #ceasefire was announced at #peacetalks in #Minsk, #Belarus, with Ukraine, Russia and pro-Russian rebels. The durability of that cease-fire remained unclear. The #UnitedStates and #EuropeanUnion have expressed skepticism about a cease-fire in the Ukraine conflict and said they were preparing further coordinated economic sanctions on Russia. #Britain also said it would supply 1,000 personnel, including a brigade headquarters, for the new NATO rapid reaction force. In addition. 3,500 British troops will take part in NATO exercises in eastern Europe through 2015 – though there may be some overlap between the two commitments. NATO also announced that its next summit, in 2016, will be held in Warsaw, the Polish capital, where “the Warsaw Pact was created and overthrown,” said President Bronislaw Komorowski of Poland.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 15:41:32 +0000
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