Secretary Antony J. Blinken at the Opening of the D-ISIS Ministerial Remarks September 30, 2024

 

Secretary Antony J. Blinken at the Opening of the D-ISIS Ministerial

Remarks

September 30, 2024

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Ambassador, thank you very much.  Colleagues, good morning and welcome.  For those of you who are in New York, I know you just wanted to keep the High-Level Week going, so we’re glad to be able to accommodate that here in Washington.

But in all seriousness, before we get going, let me just say a few quick words about the events of the past week.  Hassan Nasrallah was a brutal terrorist, whose many victims included Americans, Israelis, civilians in Lebanon, civilians in Syria, and many others as well.  During his leadership of Hizballah, the group terrorized people across the region and prevented Lebanon from fully moving forward as a country.  Lebanon, the region, the world are safer without him.

The United States will continue to work with our partners in the region and around the world to advance a diplomatic resolution that provides real security to Israel, to Lebanon, and allows citizens on both sides of the border to return to their homes.  We likewise will continue working to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza that brings the hostages home, eases the suffering of people in Gaza, preserves the possibility of a more lasting, secure peace for the entire region.

Diplomacy remains the best and only path to achieving greater stability in the Middle East.  The United States remains committed to urgently driving these efforts forward.

Now, turning to the subject of this ministerial, 10 years ago the United States mobilized a global coalition to confront ISIS – or Daesh – a nihilist terror group that over the course of a few months had occupied territory comprising a third of both Iraq and Syria, which it used to conduct a horrific campaign of violence and brutality.

Over the following decade, this coalition grew from 12 to 87 countries.  And together, we’ve made significant progress.  In 2017, coalition partners dismantled the last ISIS stronghold in Iraq.  Two years later, we did the same in Syria – effectively ending ISIS’s efforts to establish a geographic caliphate.  We imposed coordinated sanctions on ISIS-controlled assets to hinder the group’s recruitment and expansion.  And in the last five years, we have collectively invested billions of dollars to help restore security and public infrastructure in some of the communities devastated by ISIS.

These were vital, hard-won achievements.  But we know that our work is not done.  As ISIS aims to reconstitute itself in the Middle East and makes territorial gains in Asia and Africa, our coalition must remain clear-eyed about the evolving challenge that we face.  As we were reminded last week, this is a moment of enormous volatility in the Middle East.  It’s more important than ever that we enhance our efforts to strengthen security and stability, including in Iraq and Syria, and prevent extremists like ISIS from exploiting conflict in the region for their own benefit.

To that end, let me briefly outline the three core areas where we will focus our conversations today. 

First, the United States and Iraq will discuss – and with our other coalition partners as well – our plans for a phased transition of Operation Inherent Resolve.  This military mission, established in response to Iraq’s 2014 request for support in its campaign against ISIS, will conclude in Iraq by September 2025.  Over this period, the United States will work with Baghdad on bilateral security arrangements that will allow us to sustain and build our security partnership and cooperation.

In turn, our Iraqi partners will assume greater responsibility for ensuring that ISIS cannot retake territory within Iraq’s borders.  We’re immensely grateful to Iraq and the Iraqi Security Forces for all of the sacrifices that they’ve made in this effort, and for their steadfast leadership in combating ISIS.

As we shift into this new phase of our collaboration, we hope to continue working with our coalition partners – including the NATO Mission in Iraq, which intends to continue its own security relationship with Iraq. 

The United States will also maintain our counterterrorism efforts from outside of Iraq – including in Syria – for as long as needed.  Just this month, U.S. special forces successfully targeted multiple senior ISIS leaders in Syria, demonstrating our own resolve to degrade and dismantle the group and its affiliates. 

Second, our coalition will discuss today the repatriation of foreign fighters and their families – which remains the only durable solution to the humanitarian and security crisis in northeast Syria.

More than 43,000 displaced persons from over 60 countries reside in northeast Syria. Most are children who have never known another home. 

Meanwhile, roughly 9,000 fighters remain in detention facilities across northeast Syria – this is the single largest concentration in the world.  Even from confinement, these extremists are attempting to grow their ranks.

Increasingly, coalition partners are stepping up to meet this challenge.  Since 2021, the Iraqi Government has repatriated more than 10,400 citizens.  In the last year, the Kyrgyz Republic repatriated more than 432 of its nationals.  Partners like Kuwait have also helped facilitate repatriations, permitting planes departing from Syria to refuel at their airbases. 

Now, we know repatriation remains a complicated, difficult issue.  But if we fail to act, security conditions on the ground will only get worse.  We could see fighters once again take up arms and threaten communities that we fought so hard to protect and support.  This is not the time to let up.  It’s a moment to continue our efforts. 

We have to urgently accelerate our work to repatriate, reintegrate, and – where appropriate – prosecute detained and displaced persons from northeast Syria.  The United States stands ready to provide support – logistically, diplomatically – to advance this effort. 

Finally, we will strengthen our cooperation against ISIS branches outside of the Middle East.

In sub-Saharan Africa, ISIS affiliates have gained ground, compounding the threat already present from existing militant groups. 

To tackle this growing threat, the United States, Italy, Morocco formed the coalition’s Africa Focus Group in 2021.  Last year in Riyadh, we welcomed Saudi Arabia as a co-lead of this effort.  Already, we’ve helped African partners better align and coordinate to support civilian-led counterterrorism operations. 

ISIS-Khorasan — based out of Central and South Asia – also poses a distinctive challenge.  While waging a low-level insurgency in Central and South Asia, this group uses online recruitment to mount attacks around the world, including earlier this year in Iran and Russia.

Through the coalition’s Communications Working Group – led by the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom – we’re working with journalists, civil society groups, and activists to push back against the hollow promises that ISIS propaganda seeks to promote. 

In the coming year, we have to continue to drive these key efforts forward.

In that spirit, this morning, I can announce that the United States will provide $148 million to enhance civilian-led border security and counterterrorism operations across sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia.

Separately, we’ll contribute $168 million to the coalition’s annual Stabilization Pledge Drive for Iraq and Syria.  This assistance will enable critical demining operations, restore essential services like water and electricity, invest in education, and promote economic opportunity. 

This commitment follows the United States’ announcement last week, in New York, of $535 million in additional humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people, as well as displaced communities residing in the country. 

A decade into this fight, we can take pride in all that we’ve accomplished.  But as the challenge evolves, so must this coalition. 

And as I said, this is not the time to let up.  It’s a moment to recommit – to recommit to our common mission, to decisively defeat ISIS, and ensure greater security and stability for all of our people. 

I thank everyone for being here today, but more important I thank you for what you’re doing every day to keep this coalition together, moving forward in the mission that we share. 

Thank you very much.  Thank you.  (Applause.)