Michael Fallon says Isis is failing, and Ash Carter says it would be logical for Trump to stick to current approach

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

The defence secretary, Michael Fallon, has said he has no doubt that the incoming administration of Donald Trump will maintain the US’s “global leadership” in the fight against Islamic State.

Fallon was speaking alongside his US counterpart, Ash Carter, at the conclusion of a one-day meeting in London of the international coalition against Isis, which the government refers to as Daesh.

Carter said it would be logical for Trump to stick to the outgoing Obama government’s approach to fighting terrorism.

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Fallon, when asked whether he expected the 68-nation coalition to survive the change of occupants in the White House, said it would be important to focus on the actions of the new administration rather than Trump’s campaign rhetoric.

“We are dealing here with a global threat from Daesh, a threat that isn’t just present in Iraq and Syria but is present in western Europe, has hit Paris and Brussels, spread to the far east and hit California,” he said.

“This is a global threat and I have no doubt that the next US administration will step up to its traditional role of global leadership.”

Carter said: “I can’t speak for the next administration. However, I do have confidence in the future of the coalition campaign. It’s logical, it makes sense. And therefore I expect that that logic will recommend itself to the future leadership of the United States, even as it has recommended itself to the current leadership.”

After talks with ministers from 13 coalition states and Iraq, Fallon said: “Daesh is now failing. It controls less than 10% of Iraqi territory. It’s lost more than a quarter of the land it once held in Syria. Its supply of recruits has dried up. And more than 25,000 fighters have now been killed.

“As we speak, our coalition forces are supporting brave Iraqi and Kurdish ground troops in their duty of liberating Mosul. I’m proud of the part the UK is playing. More than 70% of our airstrikes have been focused around Mosul and we’ve struck more than 380 targets. At the same time we’ve trained and continue to train more than 31,000 Iraqi and peshmerga troops.”

Fallon announced a six-month extension to the deployment of British troops from 22 Engineer Regiment constructing infrastructure at the al-Asad airbase in Iraq.

He said that RAF fighter jets were supporting Syrian democratic forces advancing on the Isis stronghold of Raqqa.