Blame game dominates anti-ISIL talks in Paris

The French capital has hosted talks between the members of the so-called U-S-led coalition allegedly fighting ISIL Takfiris terrorist in Iraq and Syria. Addressing the conference, the Iraqi prime minister blamed the international community’s inaction and the coalition’s lack of commitment for ISIL advance in the region.

For the first time since January the US-led coalition against ISIL has held a summit. Nearly 90% of the coalition is a NATO member or partner, but despite their combined resources the key city of Ramadi in Iraq and the historic city of Palmyra in Syria have just fallen in only the latest setbacks.
Coalition airstrikes are now in their 10th month and yet ISIL controls an area the size of Italy. Iraq’s prime minister said that coalition countries are not preventing their terrorists from travelling to the region, is providing Iraq with “almost no(ne)” weapons, and understands very well the limited capabilities airstrikes can have on such a mobile group.
The only significant announcement was a pledge of more arms for Iraq, but will they even offset the arms captured by ISIL? Iraq recently announced the loss of more than 2,300 armored Humvee cars, valued at well over $1 billion.
The coalition refused to even discuss Syria, despite ISIL’s vast destruction there. Even more confusing is that many coalition nations continue to give diplomatic, military and economic support to ISIL- and Al-Qaeda-linked groups, in order to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.
France’s airstrikes have been few and even denigrated as a “sales exhibition” for their Rafale fighters, and one which has worked for the long-unsellable jet. The accusations that the anti-ISIL coalition is simply skin-deep appear set to continue, and perhaps along with more ISIL advances.