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Kerry: Egypt Key Ally in Islamic State Battle

by VOA News September 13, 2014

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Saturday hailed Egypt as an 'important partner' in the emerging coalition aimed at confronting the militant Islamic State group, while stressing that the need for Cairo's support would not lead Washington to ignore human rights concerns.

During a visit to Cairo, Kerry referred to Egypt as 'an intellectual and cultural capital to the Muslim world,' saying it has a 'critical role' to play in denouncing the extremist ideology of Islamic State militants, who have seized much of northeastern Syria and northern and western Iraq.

​He spoke after meeting President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on how Egypt might contribute to the coalition. The top U.S. diplomat did not elaborate about what they had discussed.

Egypt is unlikely to send troops to battle the Islamic State group but could provide logistical and intelligence support to the coalition.

Kerry was on the latest stop of his regional tour to forge an international coalition against Islamic State jihadists responsible for killing civilians across Iraq and Syria.

Kerry said Saturday that Islamic State jihadists claim to be fighting on behalf of Islam, but that the group's activities have nothing to do with the religion's teachings. He said 'its message of hate is rejected' by the majority of Muslims around the world.

Egypt is home to Al-Azhar University, one of the oldest and most revered centers of religious learning for Sunni Muslims. It has issued several statements and religious edicts condemning the Islamic State group and its self-styled caliphate.

The United States wants Egypt to use Al-Azhar to send a message of moderation across the Middle East to counter Islamic State's extremist ideology.

Appearing at a news conference with Kerry on Saturday, Foreign Minister Shoukri echoed Kerry's call for global action to counter the threat of Islamist militants. He said Egypt's leadership sees ties between the Islamic State and other terrorist groups and believes they pose a danger that crosses international borders.

'Ultimately this extremist ideology is shared by all terrorist groups. We detect ties of cooperation between them and see a danger as it crosses borders,' said Shukri.

'We believe that rejecting terrorism is a collective responsibility of all members of the international community. There should be definite steps to achieve this target.'

​​Kerry's schedule in Egypt Saturday also included meetings with Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi.

The U.S. is working to move beyond airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq to a broader coalition against the Syrian-based militants.

U.S. government officials are now calling the military action against the Islamic State militants a war.

U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday that the goal of the growing U.S.-led coalition of Arab and Western states is to 'snuff out this particular brand of Islamic extremism' cultivated by the Islamic State.

The militants have launched an armed campaign of fighting, kidnappings, and killings as they extended their reach from Syria into Iraq.

On a visit to Turkey Friday, Kerry said roughly 40 countries have offered varying levels of support for the anti-IS coalition.

Lebanon, a neighbor to war-torn Syria, is among 10 Arab and Gulf countries that signed a communique to back the U.S.-led military campaign against the Islamic State.

U.S. Ambassador to Beirut David Hale said Friday that the Lebanese army had received 'accelerated shipments' of armaments from the U.S. funded by Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, including air-to-surface (Hellfire) missiles.

On a visit to Iraq, the eastern front of the Islamic State's self-declared caliphate, French President Francois Hollande said Friday that his country would provide Iraq with airpower to strike the estimated 20,000-31,500 Islamic State fighters.

Iraq's new Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has received written assurances from U.S. House Speaker John Boehner that the legislative body will support Baghdad as Islamic State militants push to expand their territory.

The U.S. House of Representatives will vote next week on a request from Mr. Obama for the U.S. to train and equip Syrian rebels to fight militants.

Coordinating the U.S. campaign will be General John R. Allen, who had a pivotal role in the Iraqi Sunni uprising against al-Qaida in 2007, and later served as America's top military commander in Afghanistan.