MOSCOW, September 11 (RIA Novosti) - Ten Arab states have agreed to join the coalition, headed by the United States, that aims to defeat the Islamic State (IS) militant group, also referred to as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), according to a Jeddah Communique, published on US State Department official website after a meeting between US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Arab counterparts.
"The participating states agreed to do their share in the comprehensive fight against ISIL, including: stopping the flow of foreign fighters through neighboring countries, countering financing of ISIL and other violent extremists, repudiating their hateful ideology, ending impunity and bringing perpetrators to justice, contributing to humanitarian relief efforts, assisting with the reconstruction and rehabilitation of communities brutalized by ISIL, supporting states that face the most acute ISIL threat, and, as appropriate, joining in the many aspects of a coordinated military campaign against ISIL," the statement reads.
According to the document, the coalition will comprise Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon.
The ten countries, listed above and Washington declared their "shared commitment to stand united against the threat posed by all terrorism, including the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant."
On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama announced plans to defeat the Islamic State militant group, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), or Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Obama said that Washington will be extending its airstrikes from Iraq to Syria, as well as providing support, equipment and training to Kurdish and Iraqi forces army and Syria's moderate opposition in order to respond to terrorists' threat.
The jihadist group, known for proclaiming hardline Islamic fundamentalism, has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. In 2014, it seized vast areas across Iraq and Syria and proclaimed an Islamic caliphate on the controlled territories, forcing thousands members of religious minorities to flee. Up to 50,000 militants are believed to be currently fighting for the IS.
