(AhlulBayt News Agency) - US defence secretary Ashton Carter has warned America and its allies will need to stay in Iraq - even after ISIS is defeated.
Carter said the militant group, also known as ISIS, was on the path to being routed but stressed the need to ensure it "stays defeated".
He did not say how much longer the US presence in Iraq would be necessary or the number of troops required.
But he argued the coalition would be needed to assist in training and supporting the local police, border guards and other forces working to keep the country free of the militants.
Evans after the extremists are beaten, Carter said "there will still be much more to do after that to make sure that, once defeated, ISIS stays defeated".
He added: "We'll need to continue to counter foreign fighters trying to escape and ISIS attempts to relocate or reinvent itself.
"To do so, not only the United States but our coalition must endure and remain engaged militarily."
Speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum, he also said US President Barack Obama has directed the Joint Special Operations Command to concentrate on destroying ISIS ability to launch attacks in the West.
In August, Sky News reported that there were already some 3,800 US soldiers in Iraq, with special forces from the US, UK and France also operating there.
There are also several hundred British military personnel in Iraq working as trainers, engineers and protecting key points such as the Al Asad airbase in the west of the country.
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source : Sky News
Monday
5 December 2016
12:41:41 PM
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US defence secretary Ashton Carter has warned America and its allies will need to stay in Iraq - even after ISIS is defeated.