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US-Led Coalition Pledges 'Stabilization Assistance' to Syrian Areas

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The foreign ministers of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (Daesh, ISIS) terrorist group pledged during a meeting in Brussels "immediate stabilization assistance" to support areas of Syria that had been liberated from Daesh, the State Department said in a press release on Thursday.
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"This meeting was also an opportunity for Ministers to discuss and pledge immediate stabilization assistance to support areas of Syria liberated from ISIS in Coalition-supported operations," the release said.

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US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg hosted the meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Belgium.

"Ministers also welcomed the continued efforts and progress by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to liberate the remaining pockets of ISIS-held territory in eastern Syria," the release said.

Previous month, an anonymous source in the Syrian Democratic Forces told Sputnik that United States was continuing to supply armed units as part of operation against Daesh and continued boosting its military presence in Deir ez-Zor province.

The State Department also noted in the release that Daesh has not reclaimed any territories that the group lost in operations conducted by the coalition.

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Members also recognized the work the Iraqi Security Forces are doing to defeat Daesh, Iraq's pledge of $500 million for stabilization programs in liberated areas, and NATO’s launch of a non-combat training mission for Iraq, the release added. The coalition ministers met last time in February in Kuwait.

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