February 19, 2015
Release # 20150204
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TAMPA, Fla. - Military chiefs and representatives from 25 partner nations concluded a two-day conference today focused on the ongoing fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also commonly referred to as “Da’esh.” The Chiefs of Defense Conference held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is the fifth of its kind for the coalition and offered leaders an opportunity to discuss the progress of the military campaign designed to counter and ultimately defeat Da’esh.
"We had a very productive meeting among the counter-Da’esh coalition members today,” said General Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of U.S. Central Command. “The coalition remains the strength of our military campaign and we assess that through our collective efforts we are having the desired effects on the enemy. It is important to note that although Da’esh continues to conduct barbaric acts of terrorism, the group’s capability has been degraded in Syria, and they are proving unable to take and hold new territory in Iraq, which is essential to their self-declared Caliphate. The counter-Da’esh campaign will take time, but we will defeat this enemy.”