By Ovunc Kutlu
ANKARA (AA) - The coalition to defeat the Daesh/ISIS met virtually on Tuesday and reaffirmed the determination to continue the fight against the terror group.
The Foreign Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS Small Group and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that international humanitarian law, protection of civilians, particularly children, international human rights law and the UN Security Council resolutions must be upheld under all circumstances.
The ministers also emphasized the need to stop and prevent violence, grave violations of children’s rights, improve the protection of children affected by the armed conflict and ensure women’s rights.
"The Ministers, recalling their statement of June 4, 2020, committed to strengthening cooperation across all Coalition lines of effort to ensure that Daesh/ISIS and its affiliates are unable to reconstitute any territorial enclave or continue to threaten our homelands, people, and interests," the statement said. "Together they remain firmly united in their outrage at Daesh/ISIS’s atrocities and in their determination to eliminate this global threat."
They noted that while Daesh no longer controls territory, and nearly 8 million people have been freed from its control in Iraq and Syria, the threat remains, and reiterated their commitment to continue close cooperation with Iraq, and said they stand with Syrians in support of a lasting political settlement.