BRUSSELS—U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has delivered a tough, unambiguous message to NATO members, including Canada, saying the United States expects them to do more in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
The blunt talk on Wednesday, Dec. 2, was particularly significant for Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, which has pledged to end the Canadian bombing campaign and refocus the military commitment on training local forces, including police.
Kerry told his 27 other counterparts meeting in Brussels that the international coalition must strike at the core of ISIS in Syria and Iraq and strangle its efforts to set up networks elsewhere.
“I called on every NATO ally to step up its fight against Daesh,” Kerry said, using the Arabic reference for ISIS.
“I was very gratified that a number of allies are already bringing more to this battle—or are planning to increase their contributions.”
Kerry praised British Prime Minister David Cameron, whose Parliament is poised to vote on expanding airstrikes into Syria.
“It’s a very important step, we applaud his leadership on it,” he said.
