Defense Secretary Ash Carter welcomed today's announcement by Prime Minister Erna Sølberg that Norway will expand its role in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Norway’s decision to deploy special operations forces to Jordan to train vetted Syrian Arab Sunni fighters and to send a medical team to northern Iraq bolsters the coalition at a critical moment in the campaign, Carter said in a statement.
“The added forces are a welcome contribution from a stalwart ally, and another sign of the growing momentum in the campaign to defeat ISIL,” the secretary said. “With today’s announcement, Norway joins a long a list of countries that have provided additional contributions in key areas of need in the counter-ISIL fight, and I want to personally thank Minister of Defense Ine Eriksen Søreide for her leadership in securing these contributions.”
Assessing the State of the Campaign
Carter added that he has invited Søreide to his May 4 meeting in Stuttgart, Germany, with his counterparts from countries leading the coalition’s military effort against ISIL.
“We will use this meeting to assess the state of the campaign, discuss the next steps in the fight and determine what additional capabilities we will need to accelerate ISIL’s defeat,” he said. “Our campaign is gathering momentum, but there is more work to do and more resources needed to finish the job including in the areas of economic and political support. I look forward to other nations following Norway’s example.”