Hagel, Le Drian discuss ISIL, Ebola

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA))  US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian have met discussing a range of issues and security challenges that confront both of their countries including the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the threat of Ebola.

In a joint news conference, held after the talks late on Thursday, Hagel thanked Le Drian for France's "leading role in the international coalition to destroy ISIL." He affirmed, "American and French forces will continue to work side by side to support Iraqi forces on the ground as French aircraft patrol the skies over Iraq and provide valuable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance on ISIL targets." Hagel highlighted his appreciation for hearing new insights from Le Drian who recently visited Baghdad in order for the two leaders to further build and strengthen a coalition that will support the new government of Iraq. On the topic of the Ebola crisis and violent extremism in North and West Africa, Hagel said, "France's leadership in confronting extremist threats in the Sahel is particularly important as the United States continues to provide support to French operations in Mali, including airlift, refueling and intelligence cooperation."

In Ukraine, the Secretary noted that the two sides, "agreed on the importance of reinforcing (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) NATO allies in Eastern Europe and strengthening the readiness and capabilities of the NATO alliance." For his part, Le Drian recognized that, "cooperation between Africans, Americans and French people is a determining factor in order to keep maintaining pressure on groups such as al-Qaeda in the Maghreb." He added, "We (France) have set up a wider system, a wider positioning since August - it's called Operation Barkhane - in around five African countries. It allows us to contain and prevent terrorist attempts." In regards to the Sahel region, "I told Chuck Hagel once again how worried France is about the situation in Libya. Jihadist groups are "getting better" in zones that are not organized, and they pursue all kinds of illicit and illegal traffics," asserted the Minister.

On Iraq, Le Drian stressed that the coalition "Is acting, but it's just being formed, and therefore we are in a long-term process." Both leaders thanked each other for their leadership and noted that they will continue to work together to combat the issues they discussed.