- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Australian Foreign Minister Says Wiping Out Islamic State ‘Impossible’

Subscribe
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop does not believe in a complete elimination of the Islamic State (IS), the Sydney Morning Herald reported Monday.

MOSCOW, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop does not believe in a complete elimination of the Islamic State (ISIS), the Sydney Morning Herald reported Monday.

"I think that's impossible … Have we destroyed al-Qaeda?” Bishop was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Bishop noted that the ISIS is an ideology as well as a military force, and is therefore impossible to stamp out.

NATO’s initial goal was to stop the group from spreading beyond Syria and Iraq and prevent it from carrying out mass killings and potential genocide, Bishop said.

The Australian minister stated that US President Barack Obama was “absolutely correct” to speak of destroying ISIS’ activities on the ground, but warned against claiming to be able to carry out a full destruction, the newspaper wrote.

During NATO's summit in Wales last week, Obama announced the creation of an international coalition to “degrade and ultimately destroy” the ISIS. The announcement came after the beheading of a second US journalist by the extremist group.

So far, the coalition comprises the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Poland and Denmark. Obama also called for Arab countries to join the fight against ISIS as well and reject the violent “nihilism” the group projects.

The Islamic State, previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS or ISIL), is a Sunni extremist group that has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, it started launching attacks in northern and western Iraq, capturing vast areas in the north of the country, including major cities and oilfields.

Later that month, the radical militants seized the Iraqi city of Mosul and announced that they had established a caliphate on the territories under their control.

The jihadist group, known for its brutal tactics and harsh interpretation of sharia law, has forced tens of thousands of non-Muslims to flee their homes. The United Nations has characterized ethnic and religious cleansing carried out by ISIS as crimes against humanity.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала