Coalition united against Islamic State but divided on Syria and the Kurds
Challenge is to devise a coherent strategy against the militant group in a coalition of 60 countries that have differing views and objectives
Two months after the start of its campaign against Islamic State, the US-led coalition conducting operations in Iraq and Syria has expanded significantly but remains beset by lingering strategic differences.
The US has emphasised the breadth of the coalition it has assembled to combat the militant group, including the participation of five Arab countries that have played a supporting role in the campaign of air strikes in Syria. But serious disagreements remain, particularly over the coalition's plan for Syria and whether the fight against IS militants there will strengthen or weaken Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in the long run.
Military chiefs from the United States and 21 other countries convened on Tuesday for an unusual session at a base in Maryland to discuss the campaign. In his remarks to a room filled with military brass from around the world, US President Barack Obama cited some preliminary "important successes" against IS but warned that "this is going to be a long-term campaign" with "periods of progress and setbacks".
Sixty countries are now participating to some degree in the US-led coalition against IS forces in Iraq and Syria, according to the Obama administration. The question is whether a coalition whose members have differing objectives can agree on a coherent strategy.
Turkey has so far baulked at joining in the fight in Syria or allowing the US to use its nearby bases for air strikes.
France and Turkey, in turn, have pushed to establish a no-fly and buffer zone in northern Syria, an idea opposed by the US, Germany and others.
Shadi Hamid, a Middle East scholar with the Brookings Institution in Washington, said Tuesday's military summit was unlikely to resolve deeper divisions, especially regarding desired outcomes for Syria's civil war.