NATO leaders to step up efforts against terrorism

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a NATO summit in Warsaw the military alliance will provide AWACS surveillance aircraft to help fight terrorism.

He told reporters: “We have decided to provide direct support to the fight against ISIL. All Allies are already part of the Global Coalition against ISIL. We have now agreed in principle that NATO’s AWACS surveillance aircraft will provide direct support to the Coalition forces.”

He described the move as “a clear signal of our resolve to help tackle terrorism.”

Stoltenberg said that NATO country leaders decided on Saturday to start “training and capacity building in Iraq, which is key to the fight against ISIL.”

He added: "In the long run, training local forces is more effective than deploying large numbers of our own forces in combat operations. It is one of the best tools we have in the fight against terrorism. Prevention is better than intervention."

He also announced a new maritime security operation in the Mediterranean Sea called Operation Sea Guardian.

“It will have a broad scope, including situational awareness, counter terrorism and capacity building,” he said.

“We intend to work closely with the European Union’s Operation Sophia in the Central Mediterranean .. building on our swift and effective cooperation with the EU to cut the lines of international human smuggling in the Aegean.”

Stoltenberg also announced that the next NATO summit would take place in Brussels in 2017.

(pk)