US gathers allies to \\\'destroy\\\' Islamic State

NEWPORT, Sept 5 (AFP): The United States urged Western allies at a NATO summit Friday to unite in a coalition that could "destroy" Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.

"There is no issue in our minds about our determination to build this coalition, go after this," US Secretary of State John Kerry told a meeting of defence and foreign ministers from Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Turkey, and non-NATO member Australia.

He added: "We're convinced that in the days ahead we have the ability to destroy IS."

The US has conducted air strikes in northern Iraq in recent weeks, allowing Kurdish and Iraqi forces to make advances against the jihadists, but Washington is seeking wider support at the summit of the Western military alliance in Wales.

Kerry reassured those present at the meeting that there would be "no boots on the ground", saying that was a "red line for everybody here".

But Kerry said "there are many ways in which we can train, advise, assist, and equip", and urged those present to consider what they would be willing to contribute ahead of a UN General Assembly meeting later this month.

US President Barack Obama "is totally committed. There is a strategy that is clear, becoming more clear by the day", he said.

This "holistic approach" means "we need to attack them in ways that prevent them from taking over territory, that bolster the Iraqi security forces (and) others in the region who are prepared to take them on, without committing troops of our own."

Britain has not ruled out joining US military action, although the first step would likely be to arm Kurdish fighters who are already confronting IS, something that London is "actively" considering.

France has not ruled out military action, while Germany announced last week it would send military equipment including anti-tank rocket launchers, rifles and hand grenades, to Iraqi Kurds.

Pressure to tackle IS rose this week after the release of a video showing the execution of a second US journalist, with a British hostage also being threatened.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday that NATO leaders were "united in condemnation of these barbaric and despicable acts".

"They should be very clear, these terrorists. Their threats will only harden our resolve to stand up for our values and to defeat them," he told the summit at a luxury golf resort in south Wales.

Cameron used the leaders' dinner on Thursday night at Cardiff Castle to urge allies not to pay ransoms, amid reports that hostages from France and Italy have been released following the payment of large sums.

He said such payments were "deeply regrettable" and "utterly self-defeating", warning that the money was used by IS to pay for weapons, training and more threats.

Kerry described the group of 10 countries discussing IS as "the coalition of clearly the willing and the capable."

NATO has also said it is ready to help with training if Iraqi forces ask for this.

The alliance could also help coordinate efforts by individual member states, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters.

Earlier, a Western diplomatic source said that there could be a military coalition against IS, but that "we are not envisaging acting without a legal framework" in the UN.

Rasmussen said he "warmly welcomed" the efforts by the US and its allies, saying: "I think the international community has an obligation to do all it can to stop this dangerous terrorist organisation."

He said NATO nations had also agreed to exchange more information on foreign fighters returning from Iraq and Syria to Europe and the United States, amid fears they will carry out attacks on home soil.

Russia's actions in Ukraine dominated the first day of the NATO summit, which has been labelled the most critical since the end of the Cold War.

The United States and the European Union were expected to announce a raft of fresh sanctions against Russia on Friday in response to a major escalation of Russian military support to the rebels in eastern Ukraine in recent days.