Nations chart future steps against Islamic State extremists

As the Biden administration rapidly completes the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, members of the global coalition fighting the Islamic State are meeting to plot future steps against the extremist group

ROME -- As the U.S. works on its military withdrawal from Afghanistan, members of the global coalition fighting the Islamic State group met Monday to plot future steps against the extremist group. The meeting came just a day after the U.S. launched airstrikes against Iran-backed militias near the Iraq-Syria border. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio were co-chairing the gathering of senior officials from the seven-year-old, 83-member bloc. Participants were taking stock of their current efforts to ensure the complete defeat of IS, whose remnants still pose a threat in Iraq and Syria and have shown signs of surging in parts of Africa. Amid significant other international priorities, including taming the coronavirus pandemic and stepping up the fight against climate change, the coalition is hoping to stabilize areas liberated from IS, repatriate and hold foreign fighters accountable for their actions and combat extremist messaging.