Spain Calls for Creation of Common Front Against ISIL

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – More international efforts are needed to counter the threat of ISIL radicals, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo stressed in his UN General Assembly address.

"Military intervention is not enough. We must also combat the radicalization that leads to some young people joining their [IS] ranks," Garcia-Margallo said on Wednesday, calling for the creation of "a common front" against ISIL radicals.

ISIL, a radical Sunni group, has ceased vast areas in Iraq and Syria, prompting the United States to create an international coalition in September 2014 to counter the extremists’ advances. The coalition has been launching airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria.

Despite the US-led coalition efforts, ISIL radicals have not been pushed out of Syria or Iraq, with more and more fighters joining their ranks thanks in large to successful recruitment tactics that ISIL has been using on social networking sites, spreading radical ideology and urging young people to join their cause.

Russia launched its first airstrikes against ISIL positions in Syria on Wednesday. The military action was approved by Russia’s upper house of parliament on the same day and came after a request from Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry met on Wednesday agreeing that US and Russian militaries should coordinate their action in Syria in order to avoid unnecessary conflicts.