All 28 NATO allies have joined the coalition as individual countries, but Stoltenberg said that if the alliance itself became a unified member, it would significantly boost coordination in the war against IS. It would also send a strong message of unity against terrorism.
British Prime Minister Theresa May met with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in London on May 10 (AFP/VNA) |
Fighting terrorism was high on the agenda of this week’s two-day NATO summit in Brussels. The summit took place amid disputes over whether NATO should join the US-led coalition against the Islamic State. US President Donald Trump said he hopes NATO will join the coalition as a major support of anti-terrorism campaigns in Syria and Iraq.
NATO has deployed surveillance planes known as AWACS to support the international campaign and has trained Iraqi counter-terrorism forces but insists that it would not participate in combat operation.